Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge have come under fresh attack from the BJP, which has accused the father-son duo of using political influence to secure land allotments through the Siddhartha Vihara Trust. The allegations have triggered a sharp political exchange, with Priyank Kharge dismissing the charges as an attempt by the BJP to divert attention and appease the RSS.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, June 24, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleged that the Siddhartha Vihara Trust, whose trustees include members of the Kharge family, had benefited from questionable land allotments and transfers over the years. He claimed that the trust’s trustees included Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyank Kharge, the Congress president’s wife, and his son-in-law, and accused the family of leveraging its political influence to acquire valuable land parcels.
Pradeep alleged that the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) allotted five acres of land worth around Rs 100 crore to the trust in 2024 for research and development activities in the aerospace and defence sector, despite the trust having no prior experience in the field. He also referred to a separate allotment of 19 acres of land in Kalaburagi, which was initially granted on a 30-year lease and later made permanent. He claimed that the issue had been flagged in a 2018 Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report.
The BJP leader further alleged irregularities involving a 7.18-acre parcel of land in Kalaburagi and another property measuring 8,125 square metres in Bengaluru. He demanded explanations from Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyank Kharge, and the Siddhartha Vihara Trust, and questioned why Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had not ordered an investigation under anti-corruption laws.
The allegations come a day after the Congress raised questions about an alleged land scam involving family members of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and sought a probe into the matter. The BJP has rejected those allegations as baseless.
The controversy has unfolded alongside another political row over the legal status and transparency of the RSS. In recent days, Priyank Kharge has repeatedly questioned why the RSS continues to function without formal registration despite its extensive organisational network and public activities.
Responding to those remarks, BJP MLA Mahesh Tenginkai defended the RSS, saying Priyank should spend time understanding the organisation and attend a shakha to witness its activities firsthand.
Rejecting the BJP’s allegations regarding the Siddhartha Vihara Trust, Priyank Kharge said that all documents relating to the trust and its properties were publicly available and could withstand scrutiny. He questioned why no action had been taken despite the BJP having governed Karnataka under multiple chief ministers and the Union government being in power for more than a decade.
“If there was any wrongdoing, why am I still roaming free and not in jail?” Priyank asked, arguing that the accusations were politically motivated.
In a post on social media, he alleged that the BJP was attempting to shift attention away from questions being raised about financial accountability at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple.
“People are asking for the accounts of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, but the BJP is working overtime to demand accountability from Lord Buddha in Kalaburagi. You had five BJP chief ministers in Karnataka. Why did none of them act?” he questioned.
Priyank also renewed his challenge to the RSS, asking when the organisation and its “political masters” would disclose their own accounts and records.