Accusing the top leadership of Karnataka Congress of being involved in land grabbing, the BJP on Monday hit out at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, saying these party leaders are returning the land linked to scams to avoid the humiliation of court proceedings.

“Be it the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister or the National President… The entire top leadership of the Congress is equally involved in the land grabbing movement…Today, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Mallikarjun Kharge are offering to return the plots linked to the land scam.

“It is not because their conscience has awakened. They are returning the land to avoid the humiliation of court proceedings,” BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said during a press conference at the party headquarters here.

The BJP national spokesperson questioned why those returning the land were not resigning on moral grounds and demanded an FIR from the Karnataka government.

Trivedi further said the decision to return the allotted land after objections were raised on the trust run by Kharge’s son clearly proves that land grabbing by misusing power was going on in the southern state.

“In 2015, a land-grabbing case was filed against Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, which dates back to the land allotment in 1986. Siddaramaiah is accused of the MUDA scam, and members of Kharge’s family are linked to the KIADB land allotment scandal.

“Similarly, Kamal Nath, the former Congress Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, was implicated, while Ashok Gehlot, Rajasthan’s former Chief Minister, has been named in the Bikaner land scam. Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is also under scrutiny. Additionally, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi face allegations in the National Herald case.

“This clearly means that whether it’s the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, former National President, or current National President, the entire top leadership of the Congress appears deeply involved in land-grabbing activities,” the BJP national spokesperson said.

“Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi should tell whether those who are returning the land should not resign on moral grounds. If it is accepted that a mistake has been made, then when will the Karnataka government file an FIR,” he questioned.

He further criticised the silence of Congress and other opposition leaders, accusing them of collectively supporting corruption.

The BJP national spokesperson stated that corruption is an inherent tendency, but now it appears that the position of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is under threat. The decision to return the land allotted to the trust run by Kharge’s family, following allegations of misuse, is clear evidence of land-grabbing through the abuse of power at the highest levels in Karnataka.

Meanwhile, BJP national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain lashed out at Kharge over the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land scam and said this is just the beginning and as revelations follow, many Congress leaders will come under cloud.

The remarks come in the wake of Kharge’s son, Rahul Kharge, requesting the cancellation of a controversial five-acre plot allotted to the Siddhartha Vihar Trust, which he chairs.

In his letter to the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) CEO on Sunday, Rahul sought the voluntary surrender of the land.

“We withdraw our proposal and request the board to cancel the allotment of the CA site requested for the multiple skill development centre and research centre,” he wrote in his letter dated September 20.

Reacting to this development, Hussain remarked, “This is just the beginning. There is no doubt that the MUDA scam occurred. Earlier, the Siddaramaiah family also returned the land when investigations started uncovering details. Now, the Congress President is also talking about returning the land.”

“Congress has been looting the public land and funds under MUDA. The way the land was divided clearly shows that many high-profile Congress leaders were involved in this scam. Now, Mallikarjun Kharge has talked about returning the five acres of land; the land will have to be returned because this is a scam,” he told a news agency.