Bengaluru: Having gained the meeting elections with a transparent mandate, the Congress couldn’t have hoped to be in a greater place in Karnataka. However a controversial infrastructure challenge within the state’s capital metropolis of Bengaluru might now disturb the delicate peace between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy, D.Okay. Shivakumar.
Shivakumar, who holds the Bengaluru metropolis growth portfolio, declared Tuesday that he would have gone forward with the ‘metal bridge’ challenge conceptualised throughout the earlier Siddaramaiah authorities (2013-17).
Addressing a gathering in Sadashivanagar on the event of Kempegowda Jayanti celebrations, Shivakumar mentioned, “There have been many protests and folks drummed up allegations of corruption and Siddaramaiah bought scared. He (Siddaramaiah) and (Okay.J.) George (then Bengaluru metropolis growth minister) scrapped the challenge. I’d have gone forward with the challenge regardless of the implications.”
Shivakumar was referring to the 6.7 km-long flyover between Basaveshwara Circle and Hebbal Junction accepted by the then Siddaramaiah-led Congress authorities in mid-2016 to curb congestion on the street resulting in the Kempegowda Worldwide Airport.
Tenders had been floated for the Rs 1,791 crore challenge, which was anticipated to be accomplished inside 24 months.
The challenge — popularly known as ‘metal bridge’ — was reportedly anticipated to have resulted within the axing of greater than 800 fully-grown timber. On the time, this led to protests in Bengaluru by environmental activists who accused the federal government of eroding inexperienced cowl merely to cut back journey time between the airport and completely different components of town by a couple of minutes.
Finally, the then Congress authorities scrapped the challenge.
The Bharatiya Janata Social gathering (BJP), then within the Opposition, had additionally alleged corruption and irregularities within the authorities’s dealing with of the challenge.
Shivakumar’s remarks have now revived the controversy over the proposed ‘metal bridge’, moreover fueling the discord between him and Siddaramaiah, each of whom had staked a declare for the chief minister’s put up within the wake of the Congress’s victory within the 13 Could Karnataka meeting elections.
Although get together sources have confirmed to ThePrint that the 2 reached an settlement that Siddaramaiah would vacate workplace for Shivakumar after two-and-a-half years, the Congress excessive command in Delhi is but to subject an official assertion on this regard. This ambiguity has given technique to hypothesis of a rift between the get together’s two tallest leaders within the state.
The BJP, now within the Opposition, has additionally questioned the fragile peace between them, claiming that the Congress authorities in Karnataka shall be short-lived for the reason that alleged rift between Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah might result in its collapse.
Reacting to Shivakumar’s remarks, Karnataka Minister for Rural Improvement and Panchayat Raj Priyank Kharge advised ANI Wednesday, “I wouldn’t say Siddaramaiah bought scared. The CM is delicate to public opinion. Typically, false narratives get floated and good selections are delayed. I believe that’s what the deputy chief minister meant.”
Activists, in the meantime, are demanding an apology from Shivakumar for his remarks.
“Hiya @DKShivakumar avare, please apologise in your assertion. Who’re you to bulldoze? Have you ever forgotten your oath to uphold the Structure? This can be a democracy, not a ಪಾಳೆಗಾರ ವ್ಯವಸ್ತೆ (Kannada for chieftain),” Vinay Srinivasa, an advocate and activist wrote on Twitter.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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