Bengaluru, June 15 -- The political battle over Karnataka's proposed Rs18,000-crore Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT) in Bidadi escalated sharply on Monday, with the BJP and JD(S) launching a coordinated offensive against the Congress government and writing to Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, seeking his intervention to halt the acquisition of nearly 7,500 acres of farmland.
The opposition has accused the government of pushing ahead with what it called a "state-engineered land grab," while the ruling Congress has defended the project as a strategic urban expansion plan aimed at decongesting Bengaluru and preparing for long-term infrastructure needs.
In a strongly worded letter dated June 14, Karnataka BJP chief Vija...