Bidadi Township Row: Karnataka CM and Union Minister Clash Over Land Acquisition and Compensation Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy engaged in a heated exchange on Saturday, June 21, over the proposed Bidadi Township project, accusing each other of shifting positions and questioning the legitimacy of land acquisition for industrial development. The dispute centered on the project’s origins, the compensation offered to farmers, and the legal status of the land in question. Shivakumar, addressing reporters after a Cabinet meeting at Vidhana Soudha, accused Kumaraswamy of being the project’s “architect” and criticized him for changing his stance on the initiative. He claimed that Kumaraswamy had previously supported the project’s original proposal, which included offering farmers 40% of the developed land as compensation. The current government, Shivakumar stated, had increased this share to 50%, and compensation payments at a rate of Rs 2.5 crore per acre had begun distribution. The Chief Minister also asserted that the Bidadi Township project was not a new initiative of the Congress-led government. He argued that Kumaraswamy had issued the initial notification for the project, which was later continued by former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa. Shivakumar questioned Kumaraswamy’s opposition to the current proposal, asking why the Union Minister had previously declared the Bidadi region a “red zone” and issued the original notification if he now opposed the project. Shivakumar further accused the opposition of politicizing the issue, claiming they demanded industrial development while opposing land acquisition.#vidhana_soudha #karnataka_legislative_assembly #bidadi_township #karnataka_cm #hd_kumaraswamy
