Bidadi is not my dream project, says Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has distanced himself from the Bidadi Township Project, clarifying that it is a legacy proposal from 2006 rather than his own initiative. He emphasized that the government will not pursue forcible land acquisition and accused political opponents of inciting farmer protests.
Why it matters
The statement addresses political tensions surrounding land development and government accountability in Karnataka.
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who announced setting up of a committee to review the Bidadi Township Project, maintained that it was never an initiative of the present Congress government but a continuation of a proposal announced by the H.D. Kumaraswamy-led coalition government in 2006.
“The Bidadi Township Project is not my dream project,” he said at a press conference on Wednesday, adding that he had neither claimed ownership of the idea nor laid its foundation stone.
He accused Mr. Kumaraswamy of instigating the farmers’ agitation against the project.
Reiterating that the government would not resort to forcible land acquisition, Mr. Shivakumar said compensation would be paid only to farmers who voluntarily agreed to part with their land. He also said the township would be developed by the government and not by private parties, unlike the proposal during the Mr. Kumaraswamy-led government.
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