Karnataka: Hiked limit to buy land irks Congress leaders
Two senior Congress members had opposed it earlier-Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa and former Speaker Ramesh Kumar
Bengaluru: Though the state government had recently amended the Karnataka Revenue Act which enhanced the income ceiling for purchasing agricultural land, it has not gone down well with some Congress leaders.
On Monday, former minister and ex-MP H. Vishwanath openly expressed his displeasure over the government's move and said it went against the principles of former CM Devaraj Urs whose birth centenary is being celebrated by the state government. Though the legislature did not face much opposition in passing the bill, two senior Congress members had opposed it earlier-Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa and former Speaker Ramesh Kumar.
The issue came to the fore during a press meet after a meeting of a committee formed for Urs’ birth centenary. Social welfare minister H. Anjaneya termed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as the second Urs of the state. When a reporter asked if the amendment raising the income limit for buying farmland from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 25 lakh went against Urs’ thoughts, Mr Vishwanath said there was a need for a detailed debate on the issue.
“Even if the amendment is passed, there is always scope for amending it also. The Constitution itself has been amended so many times,'' Mr Vishwanath justified. When asked why only the Speaker and a former Speaker had opposed the bill, Mr Vishwanath said there were only two people in the House, who understood Urs.
When asked how Mr Anjaneya could term Mr Siddaramaiah as the second Urs when he had brought an amendment which went against the former CM’s principles, Mr Vishwanath said some of the government programmes are as per the thoughts of Mr Urs. “I am not saying Mr Siddaramaiah has not understood Urs. But, the government should have thought over it before amending the Act,'' he added.