The BJP and the Congress are locked in an intense battle targeting rival blocs seeking to grab territory in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, respectively. While the Congress trained its guns on MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, accusing him of being involved in an alleged land scam in Ujjain, the BJP dropped a bomb on the Karg family and the trust it has in Karnataka.
It all started with a news report claiming that the family of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has increased its land holdings. In the aftermath, Congress demanded a judicial investigation into the apparent “conflict of interest.”
A day later, the BJP held a press conference in Delhi where it alleged that Congress president Mallikarjun Karge and his son Priyank Karge had grabbed lands in Karnataka by misusing their “power and influence”.
What are the allegations of Congress against Mohan Yadav?
The congressional allegations stem from a report in Indian ExpressWhich showed that the Mohan Yadav family and its real estate companies added 168 acres to $45 lakh crore, since December 2023, when the BJP leader became the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.
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The report also claimed that land assets owned by Mohan Yadav and his family have benefited from infrastructure development, including road and highway links, which has increased their value. Moreover, the land use of many family-owned plots has been changed from agricultural to residential or commercial, making them profitable for investment.
Congress sought a judicial inquiry into the land purchase in Ujjain. Congress committee leader Jeetu Patwari and state opposition leader Umang Sengar told a press conference that Mohan Yadav has turned Ujjain into a hub for suspicious land deals.
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal wondered why central investigating agencies like ED or CBI were not investigating those behind the alleged ‘land scam’.
Another party leader, Pawan Khera, claimed that Yadav family members had bought 111 acres out of 168 acres in the area where the Ujjain Kumbh will be held in 2028.
Madhya Pradesh BJP president Hemant Khandelwal termed the allegations “baseless” and criticized the Congress for targeting the state’s OBC board. The BJP maintained that the Prime Minister owns 17 acres of land, as stated in his nomination affidavit, and said the property remained untouched till 2026.
BJP’s allegations on Mallikarjun Kharge, Jr
BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari, in a press conference on Wednesday, claimed that Congress president Mallikarjun Karg and his son Priyank Karg had acquired the land through a trust called Siddharth Vihar Trust.
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The BJP leader said that Karg, his son Priyank and other family members were part of the trust. Bhandari alleged that Karg and his family used the fund to grab lands in different parts of Karnataka and engaged in “land looting”. He said the duo used their power and influence in the Congress-ruled state to seize the land.
Bhandari claimed that the Siddhartha Vihara Trust had acquired the 5-acre land from the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) in 2024, during the ongoing tenure of the Congress party leading the state. He further said that the land was given for research in the field of aviation and defence, adding that the value of the land $100 Crores.
“The first case of land acquisition that I want to introduce to you is the Siddhartha Vihar Trust, which was granted by KIADB in 2024, when the Congress government was in power in Karnataka. Its stated purpose was aerospace and defense research and development. The market price of this five-acre plot is now $100 Crores. This should have been given to an industrial or aerospace fund.”
He added that no research and development activities were being conducted on the ground.
