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BJP govt undecided on land-for-Jindal issue
Bharath Joshi
DHNS
Last Updated IST

The BJP government is undecided on the controversial sale of 3,667 acres land to the JSW Steel in Ballari cleared by the previous Congress-JD(S) regime against which the saffron party had hit the streets while in the Opposition.

Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar said he was yet to take a look at the file pertaining to the Jindal land, refusing to comment on the issue. “The previous (coalition) government had formed a sub-committee to look into it. But did the sub-committee do anything at all? Did they submit a report? I will have to take the file and see. I can’t say anything without seeing the file,” Shettar told reporters.

When the BJP was in the opposition, Shettar was among those who cried foul, smelling a scam in the H D Kumaraswamy-led government’s decision to convert the lease of the 3,667 acres into sale for the Sajjan Jindal-promoted JSW Steel.

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“Back then, the Law department had objected to it. I have to see why the objection was raised. I will get all the details and take a decision,” Shettar said.

Shettar’s predecessor, K J George, had strongly defended the sale of the land in his capacity as the Industries minister while asserting that there was nothing malicious about it. Besides, the BJP, senior Congress legislator H K Patil had also raised objections. Following the backlash, a Cabinet sub-committee was formed to review the decision to convert the lease into a sale.

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(Published 03 September 2019, 22:22 IST)