Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy waited for Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar at Bairamangala on Saturday to discuss the Bidadi Township Project.
Political drama unfolded in Bairamangala on Saturday as Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy arrived for an open discussion on the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township Project. He set up a stage at the circle where farmers have protested the project for over 470 days and waited from afternoon till evening with a nameboard for the Chief Minister.
Hundreds of farmers gathered at the site. Some supporters of the project welcomed Kumaraswamy with red flags. As he left, other supporters attempted to lay siege to his vehicle before police intervened.
Kumaraswamy told protesting farmers he would fight a legal battle on their behalf if the project proceeds and offered to cover expenses. He defended his earlier designation of the area as a red zone to protect farmlands from the real estate mafia.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president B.K. Hariprasad and Home Minister Priyank Kharge stated that policy matters should be discussed in the Vidhana Soudha rather than on the streets.