BENGALURU: Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, R. Ashoka, criticised Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his ministers for accusing the Union Government of not following protocol during the inauguration of a bridge in Shivamogga district. “Frustrated that the credit for the bridge’s construction is going to the BJP, the Chief Minister is attempting to create confusion,” Ashoka said.
He further pointed out that even after two years, the State Government had not provided him with an official government residence. “Is this how the Congress party respects protocol?” he asked.
“As the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, I have written six letters to the State Government requesting an official residence, but I have not received a reply to any of them,” he added.
Ashoka asserted that the Chief Minister had been invited to the event and that his name was included as per protocol. “If the CM had other pre-scheduled programmes, it is for him to decide which one takes priority. It is unreasonable to expect the date and time of the programme to be fixed in consultation with the CM,” the BJP leader said.
He also questioned the CM on whether the State Government had ever sought the advice or involvement of opposition leaders and MLAs in its programmes. “In the last two years, as Leader of the Opposition, I have not been consulted or invited to a single programme—even those held in Bengaluru,” he said.