A series of claims and counterclaims by the BJP and Congress have emerged over allegations that a farm in Bagalkot was damaged while constructing a helipad for Amit Shah’s chopper.
Amit Shah was in Ilkal taluk in the district to address a rally on Saturday. The Congress has attacked the BJP and Amit Shah, calling them anti-farmer after a police complaint was lodged against BJP Hungund candidate, Dodannagouda Patil and his aides.
Congress’s Karnataka handle had tweeted, “Mr. Amit Shah, is this how you treat the Farmers of Karnataka? In Kalaburagi, your party members assaulted a farmer who questioned you and today you destroy their livelihood for your helipad! People of Karnataka will teach you a befitting lesson soon. #KarnatakaDefeatsBJP.”
Mr. Amit Shah, is this how you treat the Farmers of Karnataka?
— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) April 28, 2018
In Kalaburagi, your party members assaulted a farmer who questioned you and today you destroy their livelihood for your helipad!
People of Karnataka will teach you a befitting lesson soon. #KarnatakaDefeatsBJP https://t.co/7M0zebIJFq
Media reports quoted the complaint as saying, “The 1.32-acre farmland at survey number 111 in Ilkal belongs to my relative but I live and work as a farmer here. On Friday, some people entered the land forcefully and started removing embankments on the outer edge. When I questioned them, I was abused.”
Later addressing reporters, a man identified as Jagadish Rudrappa Karadi said, “I had prepared the entire land for sowing since monsoon is almost here but now they have destroyed it.”
However, the BJP has denied these claims and said they had permission to use the field.
Speaking to TNM, Dodannagouda Patil claimed, “There is no damage to the farmland. We had already taken permission from the farmer. It was only the owner of the adjoining land – a relative of the Congress candidate – who has levelled these false allegations. We had also taken government permission, and permission from the Returning Officer.”
“I have told the police the same,” he added.
An aide of the MLA who was in-charge of setting up the helipad said, “We had taken all the necessary permissions from the RO and DC. The land where the helicopter landed belongs to Giriraj Darak. The complainant is sponsored by the Congress.”
Giriraj also corroborated the claim saying, “I gave a permission letter agreeing to it and other formalities were also done including police permission. Since the season is over nothing was growing on the land and it has not caused damage.”
He denied knowledge of the police complaint saying, ”I do not know who made the police complaint.”