‘No unnecessary provocation’: Shashi Tharoor backs Karnataka govt's demolition drive in Bengaluru

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor defended the Karnataka government’s demolition drive in Bengaluru which created quite a stir within the party in the southern late last month.

Tharoor, defending the move, said that legal procedures were followed and alternative arrangements had been promised to the affected residents.

The senior Congress leader on Friday said the land on which the houses were built belonged to the government. “First, the land belonged to the government, and people were living there illegally. Second, it was a garbage dump and toxic waste had contaminated the water, so it was not a fit place for people to live,” he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Weighing in on the row, Tharoor said the residents had been informed before the demolition and said he did not see justice in politically projecting the issue only on the basis that the affected people were poor.

“The government has taken a decision to provide temporary accommodation and has promised permanent housing within five to six months,” he said. According to Tharoor, since a solution has been found, there is no need to unnecessarily provoke the issue.

“There may be flaws in the shifting process and there can be differences of opinion on how it was done. But a promise has been given to find a solution,” he said. Tharoor said all actions must be carried out legally.

“The Karnataka government has done this, adhering to court directions. Notices were given, and in some cases they were issued multiple times before the demolition,” he said, adding that he had not visited Karnataka and therefore had no right to give a definitive opinion.

The controversy started with the eviction of several families from Kogila Layout near Yelahanka on December 20, following which the Karnataka government faced a pushback from within the party and criticism from outside. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan also criticised the drive, terming it an example of “bulldozer raj”.

In his defence Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah said the action was unavoidable and based on safety concerns. “Several people had illegally erected makeshift shelters at the waste-disposal site in the Kogila Layout near Yelahanka. It is not a place suitable for human habitation,” he had clarified on X.