Bengaluru: Is the Arkavathy Layout redo scam an issue on which the BJP can corner the ruling Congress during the coming BBMP polls? State BJP leaders are divided over the issue with some of them not keen on harping on the alleged scam as they feel it may boomerang on the party.
In fact, BJP city MLAs have reportedly requested the state leadership not to raise the Arkavathy scam and make it a poll plank against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. They fear that it will only encourage Congress leaders to make a counter attack by bringing up the series of denotification scams when occurred when B.S. Yeddyurappa was chief minister.
However, former CM Jagadish Shettar is firm on making Arkavathy a big issue. Speaking to this newspaper, Mr Shettar said, “Besides the misdeeds of the government, BJP will raise Arkavathy as Mr Siddaramaiah is directly involved and had denotified 700 acres of land.” When asked about city leaders being wary of raising the issue, Mr Shettar said the state unit will convince the city unit about its importance. The redo scam is directly related to Bengaluru’s development as the Congress government could not distribute BDA sites to genuine applicants, he said.
A voice of dissent came from a BJP senior legislator who told this newspaper that denotification was not an election issue and the party will only focus on matters pertaining to Bengaluru.
