Bengaluru: Even as the row rages over KIADB’s allotment of a plot to the Trust run by the family of AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has sought an explanation from the Chief Secretary over allegations surrounding the allotment of the Civic Amenities (CA) plot to Congress President’s Family Trust.

The Governor has asked Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh to give him a factual report based on complaint lodged by Opposition Leader in Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy (BJP). On  Aug. 27, Narayanaswamy had urged Gehlot to dismiss IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge, son of Mallikarjun Kharge, from the State Cabinet on charges of ‘nepotism’.

The Siddartha Vihara Trust, founded by Mallikarjun Kharge and chaired by his other son Rahul Kharge, had applied to purchase a 5-acre CA site at the Hi-tech Defence and Aero Space Park at Devanahalli near Bengaluru International Airport earlier this year.

Upon selection, the Trust is paying Rs.14 crore for the land parcel. Minister Priyank Kharge is a Trustee of the Trust, prompting the Opposition BJP to level allegations of nepotism.