Bengaluru: Having received 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 venture 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 improvement portfolio, declared Tuesday that he would have gone forward with the ‘metal bridge’ venture conceptualised in the course of 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 other people drummed up allegations of corruption and Siddaramaiah acquired scared. He (Siddaramaiah) and (Okay.J.) George (then Bengaluru metropolis improvement minister) scrapped the venture. I might have gone forward with the venture irrespective of the results.”
Shivakumar was referring to the 6.7 km-long flyover between Basaveshwara Circle and Hebbal Junction permitted by the then Siddaramaiah-led Congress authorities in mid-2016 to curb congestion on the highway resulting in the Kempegowda Worldwide Airport.
Tenders have been floated for the Rs 1,791 crore venture, which was anticipated to be accomplished inside 24 months.
The venture — 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 scale back journey time between the airport and completely different elements of the town by a couple of minutes.
Ultimately, the then Congress authorities scrapped the venture.
The Bharatiya Janata Celebration (BJP), then within the Opposition, had additionally alleged corruption and irregularities within the authorities’s dealing with of the venture.
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 submit within the wake of the Congress’s victory within the 13 Could Karnataka meeting elections.
Although celebration 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 challenge an official assertion on this regard. This ambiguity has given option to hypothesis of a rift between the celebration’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 will likely 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 Growth and Panchayat Raj Priyank Kharge advised ANI Wednesday, “I wouldn’t say Siddaramaiah acquired 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.
“Hey @DKShivakumar avare, please apologise on your assertion. Who’re you to bulldoze? Have you ever forgotten your oath to uphold the Structure? It is a democracy, not a ಪಾಳೆಗಾರ ವ್ಯವಸ್ತೆ (Kannada for chieftain),” Vinay Srinivasa, an advocate and activist wrote on Twitter.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Additionally Learn: One-upmanship in Karnataka BJP out in open as Yatnal, Bommai struggle over ‘adjustment politics’
