BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has criticised Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy for opposing the Bidadi township project, and said the government is only continuing the project started by Kumaraswamy. “Kumaraswamy can’t survive politically without criticising us,” the DCM told reporters here.
Responding to Kumaraswamy’s allegation on Thursday that most of the farmers had not given their consent, he said the Union minister can interact with the farmers who were giving land for the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT) project. Shivakumar said he will fix a date to meet farmers.
“Farmers might throw stones at me, or raise slogans against me. Should I be scared? What matters is their future, their children’s future, and the future of their land.
Twenty years from now, people of Bidadi and South Bengaluru will remember me,” he said. “Couldn’t Kumaraswamy himself have denotified this project’s land? Why didn’t he? I am not ready to denotify it. He knows very well what he went through after denotifying land. Yediyurappa knows it, and so do I,” he said.
The DCM said he had warned his followers against putting up banners wishing him on his birthday. But they ignored his warning. Civic officials have been asked to remove the banners and posters. “Please keep Bengaluru clean. In rural areas, I won’t object.
But not in the city. Though I said no to birthday celebrations, last night, my fans, Congress workers, leaders and ministers were waiting to wish me. I couldn’t say no to them,” he said.
On political developments in Kerala, Shivakumar said there are many senior and deserving leaders and the Congress high command gave an opportunity to VD Satheesan to become CM. He said the government has launched ‘Bhu Guarantee’ as its sixth guarantee to ensure that ordinary people’s properties have proper documentation. “We have arranged for e-khatas to be delivered to people’s doorsteps. We are facilitating the conversion of B-khata to A-khata as well,” he said, replying to a query.
‘Modi responsible for price rise’
Shivakumar accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not maintaining good relations with other countries and failing to handle the fuel crisis.
He said, “Price rise is Modi’s contribution. He has failed to handle the international crisis situation. Now he is asking people to save electricity and avoid using petrol. How can ordinary people stop travelling? Don’t people travel to make a living? He has asked people not to buy gold. Married women need mangalsutras. In such circumstances, how can one be asked not to buy gold?”