The private chopper, in which Karnataka chief minister Kumaraswamy travelled back to Bengaluru from New Delhi, allegedly belongs to Jindal Steel. It is said the company Monnet which owns the aircraft is allegedly owned by Jindal Steel. The Kumaraswamy government, a few months ago, gave land for Jindal Steel at throwaway prices. So is there an aspect of quid pro quo?
Bengaluru: As the news of more than a dozen Karnataka Congress and JD(S) MLAs resigning reached the chief minister of Karnataka HD Kumaraswamy who was on a private visit to the United States, he wanted to rush back to Bengaluru, to douse the fires of dissent.
Any person in his place would have certainly been nerve-wracked.
But the focal point of his returning was the plane which he took back to Bengaluru from New Delhi, on Sunday (July 7). He returned in a private jet which bore the insignia of a company named Monnet.
But why is this creating news all around?
Well, that is because Monnet is a company allegedly owned by Jindal Steel (JSW). It is said that JSW bought the company in 2018. Now, the bigger question is: Did this company go the extra length to fly the chief minister back home, something on the lines of a quid pro quo?
Remember, a few weeks ago, the Kumaraswamy government was embroiled in a controversy over the land it allotted to JSW near Ballari at a throwaway price.
Everything boils down to 2006 when the JD(S)-BJP government had allocated two parcels of land (measuring 2000 acres and 1666 acres).
As per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the lease-cum-sale deed had to be later converted into an absolute sale deed. The price for the land was agreed at Rs 1.22 lakh and Rs 1.50 lakh per acre respectively.
But, senior Congress leader HK Patil himself wrote a letter to the chief minister saying the price is, at the current standings, Rs 1.5 to Rs 2 crore.
The BJP wants the chief minister to give a clarification on the issue.
“The chief minister should clarify on the issue whether it is a free travel or if he has paid money for the travel,” said Sreenath Sheshadri, a BJP spokesperson.
However, as of now, there is no clarity if JSW does own Monnet.
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