BENGALURU: When Chief Minister Siddaramaiah set off on his rounds of Bengaluru city on Thursday, he sent out two clear messages to his challengers: That he is unconcerned about the Karnataka High Court hearing his petition challenging the governor’s sanction to prosecute him in the MUDA scam, and that the development of Bengaluru is also his domain.
The two-hour exercise featured Siddaramaiah taking a BMTC bus ride around the city, and switching to the Metro to return to Vidhana Soudha, where he interacted with commuters.
It appeared that quite suddenly, both Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, who is currently in the US, are simultaneously showing great concern for ‘Brand Bengaluru’.
Earlier, whenever there was a HC hearing, the CM would keep his day free of any events, but this time, he made a public statement with his civic rounds. His supporters are said to have planned it only on Wednesday, and he carried it out in the absence of Bengaluru Development Minister Shivakumar.
It was a signal to both his sympathisers and rivals that he remains strong and unconcerned about Shivakumar meeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the US, according to the CM’s aides. Analysts interpret the city rounds exercise as a counter to Shivakumar. Ministers Ramalinga Reddy, Byrathi Suresh and KJ George, and city MLAs Rizwan Arshad, M Krishnappa and NA Haris accompanied the CM.
Siddaramaiah gave some instructions to officials and issued a subtle warning that they would face action if they failed in their duties.
“Watched the Hebbal underpass and flyover work undertaken by the Bengaluru Development Authority. Strict instruction has been given to complete the work within the stipulated time and open it for the public,” he posted on ‘X’.
As part of the rounds, he inspected development works including roads, bridge and Metro - which he termed a lifeline of Bengaluru - and claimed that the government’s aim is to speed up work and connect the Metro to most areas of the city.
Interestingly, Shivakumar had held a meeting of BBMP officers just before leaving for the US, and issued a deadline to fill up potholes. He continued to follow it up from foreign soil. “Many efforts are being made for the cleanliness and safety of the city under the Brand Bengaluru project, accordingly BBMP officials have undertaken a swift operation to fill potholes on my instructions. Here’s a look at the Lulu Mall pothole repair work,” he posted on ‘X’.