After row over civic amenity plot, BJP targets Kharge family over Pali institute land

'...if the Kharge family believes in the principles of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Lord Gautama Siddhartha, they should themselves seek a probe,' Rajya Sabha BJP MP Lahar Singh Siroya stated.

Bengaluru: A new row erupted Monday after Rajya Sabha BJP MP Lahar Singh Siroya sought a probe on 19 acres of land given to the International Institute of Pali, Sanskrit & Comparative Philosophy run by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's family trust in Kalaburagi.

This comes days after the BJP kicked up a row over the Siddhartha Vihar Trust, founded by Kharge, getting a 5-acre civic amenity (CA) plot near the Bengaluru airport.

In a statement, Siroya said the Pali institute was given 16 acres of government land for a 30-year lease in March 2014 when the Siddaramaiah-led Congress was in office. Three acres were added to the lease and in March 2017, all 19 acres were "transferred free of cost to the Kharge family-run institute", Siroya said.

Siroya also pointed out that Priyank Kharge was a Cabinet minister then "like he is now" and sought a probe by an independent agency. "...if the Kharge family believes in the principles of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Lord Gautama Siddhartha, they should themselves seek a probe," Siroya stated. He also asked if the then Siddaramaiah government came under pressure or if it was "trying to please" Kharge.

This prompted an elaborate explanation from Priyank on X (formerly Twitter. "Looks like your political brokering job isn’t doing too well and you need to win favour of your bosses," he told Siroya.

The institute, Priyank said, has been established by the union government, the Siddhartha Vihar Trust represented by the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan (now Central Sanskrit University), New Delhi and the state department of higher education.

Priyank said the proposal to establish the institute was made by then union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee during his visit to Kalaburagi in 2011. A Pali Language Research Centre at Kalaburagi was announced in the 2012-13 union budget.

Following this, the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan was appointed as the nodal agency. Also, the Siddhartha Vihar Trust requested assistance from the state government for the development of this institute. Priyank said this request was accepted and support was announced by then CM Jagadish Shettar in the 2013-14 state budget.

The Pali Institute was established on February 14, 2014 as a public trust with the Kalaburagi deputy commissioner representing the government, Priyank said.

Priyank said 16 acres of land was given on lease for 30 years by the government. "Land is only leased to Pali Institute and there is no grant of land. The land and any construction on the land is not owned by the Pali Institute. The buildings have been used by the government during Covid and for other activities as and when required by the government," he said, adding that the institute offers PG diploma and certificate courses.