BENGALURU: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka, Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan, MLAs S Suresh Kumar, CN Ashwathnarayana and Munirathna Naidu, and local BJP leaders launched a campaign in Vijayanagar and Govindraj Nagar Assembly constituencies on Saturday against the Congress government for ignoring the city’s “crumbling” infrastructure.
Ashoka lashed out at Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who is also Bengaluru Development Minister, for not taking any steps to fix problems such as potholes and waste disposal. He urged Shivakumar to resign as Bengaluru Development Minister if he can’t set right problems related to the city’s infrastructure. The campaign will be extended to other Assembly constituencies in the city, he said.
Criticising Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, Ashoka said they set a deadline for officials to make Bengaluru pothole-free by October 31. But that did not happen and motorists in the city have been left to fend for themselves.
The BJP leaders marked the potholes in parts of the two constituencies to alert motorists to avoid them.
Referring to Siddaramaiah asking reporters to question Shivakumar over potholes and garbage menace at a press conference recently, Ashoka said it indicates that there is a rift between them.
“The DCM claims that he is a trouble-shooter, but he is unable to take on the garbage mafia. If he can question Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Mohandas Pai, and BJP MLAs and MPs from the city, why can’t he act against the mafias in the city? The garbage mafia is from Telangana. I urge the DCM to persuade Telangana Congress leader and CM Revanth Reddy to control the mafia,” Ashoka said.
Due to the rift between Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, the capital city is suffering, he alleged.
Referring to sugarcane growers’ agitation, Ashoka said the government has agreed to procure cane for Rs 3,300 per tonne only from Belagavi farmers. It can’t ignore cane growers from other districts of the state.
On the vote theft campaign by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, he said, “Vote chori happened in Malur Assembly constituency. The court has ordered for a recount of votes. Congress MLA KY Nanje Gowda’s election from Malur stands questionable now. Recounting of votes will expose the Congress’ vote chori politics.”
Ashwathnarayana said the Congress government has failed on all fronts. It is now blaming the Centre for the problems faced by the state, he added.