Rajeev Chandrasekhar faces protests in Kerala over BPL land ‘scam’

After the Congress, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) on Wednesday (October 29) held protest marches at all district centres in Kerala, demanding an explanation from BJP state president and former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar over the revived allegations relating to a decades-old land allotment to BPL India Ltd in Karnataka.

The protests came as the controversy, first raised by a Bengaluru-based lawyer, triggered political tremors across the state, prompting sharp exchanges between the ruling CPI(M), the Congress, and the BJP.

The BPL Group has denied any wrongdoing, stating that the land allotment in question was made by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) under due process in 1995 and that Chandrasekhar, who was associated with the company at the time, had “no role whatsoever in the transaction”. The company maintained that all documents were “in order and as per the norms prevailing then,” the company explained in a statement.

175 acres of farmland allotted to BPL

The controversy resurfaced after Delhi High Court advocate KN Jagadeesh Kumar petitioned the Karnataka government to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe alleged large-scale irregularities in land allotments made by the KIADB. Among the cases listed was the allotment of 175 acres of farmland to BPL India Ltd at Dobbaspet near Nelamangala for a proposed colour television and battery manufacturing unit. The land, acquired from farmers at around Rs 1.1 lakh per acre, was handed over to BPL through a possession certificate in May 1995 and a registered lease deed in April 1996.

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However, according to the petitioner, no industrial development took place at the site for nearly a decade. The land was later mortgaged to the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait with KIADB’s permission and eventually converted into an absolute sale in 2006. These transactions, the petitioner alleged, point to misuse of public land and violation of the original industrial purpose for which it was allotted.

CPI(M) raises questions

“What exactly was the land allotment process you are referring to? How was BPL chosen as the beneficiary? Was it through a transparent, competitive tender?” CPI(M) state committee member K Anilkumar asked.

“How much did BPL pay the Karnataka government for the land? How much did it raise later by mortgaging the same property? If the Supreme Court gave a ruling in 2003, what was it about and how does it relate to an irregularity that actually took place in 2011? Isn’t this a case of criminal fraud, not a civil dispute? These questions need answers,” said Anilkumar.

He questioned both the legality and the transparency of the entire process. In a statement, he challenged BPL and Chandrasekhar to clarify the circumstances of the land transfer and the subsequent transactions.

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He further alleged that the then-minister responsible for the industrial portfolio in Karnataka had faced corruption charges and even served jail time, arguing that the episode reflected “the nexus between political power and corporate influence that undermines public resources”.

Congress attacks BJP over ‘double standards’

The Congress, which had earlier launched its own round of protests, said the controversy exposed “the double standards of the BJP” on corruption and transparency.

BJP leaders in Kerala have dismissed the campaign as politically motivated. A senior BJP functionary said the party views the protests as “a coordinated attempt by the CPI(M) and Congress to malign their state president who has consistently exposed their failures”.

BPL, in a statement, had reiterated that the land was allotted “under valid lease agreements” and that the company had subsequently paid all dues and complied with legal procedures. “There has been no irregularity or misuse. The current references being made are based on misinterpretation of historical documents,” it said.

What Chandrasekhar said

Chandrasekhar described the renewed controversy as “a politically motivated smear campaign” and hinted at a larger conspiracy involving Opposition parties and sections of the media. Without naming any outlet, he accused some “media house led by criminals” of running an orchestrated campaign to tarnish his image, a reference widely interpreted as directed at Reporter TV, which had recently aired a detailed segment linking him to the land case.

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“This is an old, settled matter being cynically revived just as Kerala enters a politically sensitive phase,” Chandrasekhar said. “Both the Congress and CPI(M) are desperate to distract attention from their failures by recycling falsehoods.”

While the BJP officially stands behind its state president, party insiders admit the controversy has caused unease within the organisation. Some senior leaders, already unhappy with Chandrasekhar’s growing dominance over state affairs, see the episode as “unwanted baggage” ahead of the local body elections. According to party insiders, the issue could have been handled more firmly at the outset.

For Chandrasekhar, long seen as the BJP’s urbane, technocratic face in Kerala, the controversy poses both a political and personal test. The Opposition’s joint offensive has, at least temporarily, shifted the narrative from his efforts to expand the party’s base to questions about probity and corporate links.

Whether the Karnataka government acts on the petition for an SIT probe remains to be seen. But as protests spread and television debates multiply, what began as a legal plea in Bengaluru has become a full-blown political storm in Thiruvananthapuram, one that Chandrasekhar can no longer ignore.