Shivakumar’s Response to BJP’s Criticism
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has sharply countered the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its Bengaluru MPs for criticizing the state government’s handling of infrastructure and civic issues. He asserted that the current administration has established a unique system for citizen engagement that no other government in the country has implemented.
While inaugurating road repairs and other development projects, Shivakumar emphasized a citizen-centric reform introduced by his government.
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He stated, ‘Is there any other government that allows citizens to take pictures of potholes or garbage and send them directly to officials for action? Only under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah we have implemented such a system.
Shivakumar also revealed that his administration has already filled over 10,000 potholes. He criticized the previous BJP government led by Basavaraj Bommai, recalling that they had filed an affidavit in court admitting there were 20,000 potholes in the city.
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Criticism of Development Projects
Targeting BJP leaders, the Deputy Chief Minister condemned the opposition for criticizing two major development initiatives: a 113-kilometre corridor and a city tunnel project.
Without naming anyone, he mocked a BJP MP as ‘an empty vessel that only makes noise and tweets.’
Shivakumar’s Challenge
Shivakumar directly challenged Bengaluru’s BJP MPs regarding their failure to secure funds from the central government.
He remarked, ‘There are five MPs from Bengaluru. Has any one of them brought even a single rupee from the center for the city? Nirmala Sitharaman (the Union Finance Minister) is a central minister herself; has she managed to bring even 10 rupees for Bengaluru? If she has, I accept any punishment you wish to impose.’ His aggressive remarks came amid ongoing criticism of the BJP regarding the poor condition of Bengaluru’s roads and infrastructure management.
