The opposition to the proposed Nimhans hospital at Gudumadanahalli village in Varuna constituency has intensified, with Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) president Badagalapura Nagendra urging the state government to relocate the hospital to a dry wasteland instead of acquiring farmers' fertile land.
Farmers oppose location, not the hospital
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Nagendra stated that the identified land is fertile agricultural land with year-round water availability and is classified as a green zone. He argued that such a site is unsuitable for a major hospital project. He clarified that farmers are not opposing the hospital itself but are objecting to the chosen location. If an alternative site is selected, farmers would not raise any objection, he added.
Appeal to CM and son
Nagendra urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to personally inspect the land before making a final decision. He expressed confidence that after reviewing the ground situation, the CM would direct officials to identify another location. He also appealed to the CM's MLC son, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, to pay attention to farmers' concerns and ensure that development projects do not harm the environment.
Activist Ugra Narasimhegowda criticized the state government, alleging that both CM Siddaramaiah and MLC Yathindra are ignoring farmers' sentiments regarding the proposed hospital. He warned that political power is not permanent and that voters would teach a lesson to leaders perceived as anti-people in future elections.
Allegations of voter list manipulation
Nagendra also alleged that the BJP benefited in West Bengal due to manipulation in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He asserted that Karnataka would not be allowed to witness a situation similar to Bengal and that progressive organizations and farmer groups would oppose any attempt to manipulate voter lists. He said various progressive organizations had requested CM Siddaramaiah to convene a meeting on the issue, which the CM did on Friday, and Nagendra participated in it.
He alleged that irregularities occurred during voter list revisions in Bengal, claiming that names of several minority and other voters were deleted from electoral rolls. He stated that the ruling Trinamool Congress lost many constituencies by margins of just a few thousand votes due to the deletion of nearly 34 lakh votes.
