Land acquisition will devastate farmers: Deve Gowda urges Karnataka govt to drop Bidadi poject
Mangalore Today News Network
Bengaluru, July 14, 2026: Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda on Tuesday urged the Karnataka government to scrap its proposed AI-powered Integrated Township project at Bidadi, warning that acquiring fertile farmland would destroy the livelihoods of thousands of farmers.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, the JD(S) patriarch appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to permanently withdraw the proposal, arguing that sufficient vacant land and unoccupied housing already exist in and around Bengaluru for urban development.
"Please don’t move forward. I sincerely appeal to the government and the honourable chief minister to put an end to this," Gowda said.
Referring to the government’s decision to temporarily halt the land survey following protests, Gowda urged the chief minister to shelve the project entirely.
"The government has stopped the survey for the time being. Let the chief minister show magnanimity. More than 40,000 sites are available in Bengaluru, and many apartments are lying vacant. Conduct a survey there instead," he said.
Gowda said the proposed land acquisition would severely impact farming families who depend solely on agriculture and dairy farming for their livelihood.
"These people cannot come to Bengaluru to earn a living. They survive on their ancestral land and supply nearly 60,000 litres of milk every day to the city," he said.
The former prime minister also alleged that the Congress government was pursuing the project to mobilise funds ahead of future elections, claiming Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar was trying to fulfil a commitment made to the party leadership.
Questioning the financial rationale behind the project, Gowda asked, "What is the purpose of going to Bidadi? Is it to raise ₹12,000 crore? I have sufficient background on this issue."
Expressing solidarity with the protesting farmers, Gowda assured them of continued support from the JD(S).
"I will stand with the farmers," he said, adding that the JD(S), along with its NDA ally BJP, would continue opposing policies that adversely affect the farming community.
He also criticised the state government for its handling of crop losses caused by erratic rainfall, urging it to conduct proper surveys and submit factual reports to the Centre to facilitate relief for affected farmers.
The proposed township project has triggered widespread protests in the Bidadi region. On Monday, women protesters reportedly chased away government survey officials with brooms, while clashes between farmers and officials left a few police personnel injured. An FIR has been registered against several protesters for allegedly obstructing government work.
According to government sources, the AI-powered Integrated Township project proposes the acquisition of 7,404 acres across nine villages in Ramanagara taluk. Officials said the acquisition would be carried out under the provisions of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act, with affected landowners to receive either 9,693 sq ft of developed land per acre or equivalent compensation.