After veteran Congress leader HK Patil released documents stating the amount JSW Steel owed the government, chief minister Kumaraswamy has decided to reconsider the sale of land to JSW.
Bengaluru: Caught in a row over the controversial Jindal Steel land deal, Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, on Tuesday said the government's decision to sell 3,667 acres to JSW Steel in Ballari will be reconsidered and placed before the Cabinet once again for discussion.
"I have discussed the issue regarding the sale of land to Jindal with deputy chief minister G Parameshwara and Industries minister KJ George.
I have instructed them to reconsider it and place it before the Cabinet once again for discussion," Kumaraswamy tweeted.
The Karnataka Cabinet had recently decided to convert the lease of 3,667 acres to JSW Steel in Ballari into a sale, in accordance with the initial agreement.
Opposing the move, state BJP president BS Yeddyurappa on Sunday had accused the ruling coalition of receiving kickbacks for the sale of land.
Accusing the government of selling the land to the company at a throwaway price, the BJP has announced that it will stage a three-day protest in Bengaluru from June 13.
Causing embarrassment to the coalition, senior Congress leader HK Patil has opposed the sale by writing a series of letters to the government.
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He maintained that the company had been accused of illegal mining and that it owed dues to the government and state-run Mysore Minerals Ltd.
Amid the row, JSW Steel chairman and managing director Sajjan Jindal, on Saturday, said, the company never does anything "illegal" or "disadvantages" the people of Karnataka.
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