Jindal land row: Netizens mock Karnataka chief ministers for double standards

Bengaluru: The war over allotment of land to Jindal Steel (JSW) by the HD Kumaraswamy government in Karnataka has reached social media now.

Netizens took to social media to express their ire, not just on Kumaraswamy, but other former chief ministers as well. They took a swipe at former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa of the BJP for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 20 crore to make matters favourable to Jindal company. In the firing ling was another chief minister Siddaramaiah of the Congress. Several people alleged that he manipulated circumstances to suit HT company, a subsidiary of JSW.

From chief ministers, the netizens next trained their guns at two other prominent politicians of Ballari region, Anand Singh and Anil Lad, both Congressmen.

People questioned them as to why they were silent when an illegal asphalting unit was opened, whereas, many environmentalists who protested against the company, were jailed. Many even lampooned them for staying silent as they alleged that the men in question would have accepted bribes.

Another minister from the Congress E Tukaram, an MLA from Sandur also received criticisms as he has kept mum over the Jindal issue, but expressed his grouse over the acquisition of National Mineral Development Corporation by the government.

What is JSW land deal?

In May, the Kumaraswamy government had decided to allocate 2,000 acres of land in Sandur and an extra 1,666 acres in Yalaburga (Ballari district) to JSW for mining operations.

Interestingly, the Congress-JD(S) coalition government faced a backlash from none other than its own senior leader HK Patil who questioned the move of allocation.

In a letter to industries minister KJ George, he had alleged that the company owed Rs 1,200 crore to Mysore Minerals Limited as on May 27 and that the state government was giving away the land for a depreciated value.

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