Bengaluru: Leaders of BJP, the principal Opposition party in the Legislative Council, are pulling all the stops to stymie the state government’s plans to get the select committee’s nod for trifurcation of BBMP through the Karnataka Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2015, ahead of forthcoming polls to the urban local body.
The select committee, headed by leader of the House and IT & BT minister S. R. Patil has met thrice, but BJP legislators have remained firm in their decision to oppose trifurcation of BBMP on grounds that the move would harm ‘brand Bengaluru.’
Instead, they want the government to appoint three commissioners for smooth functioning of the civic body. Besides, they favour a single mayor for the city, and have made their stand clear in every meeting of the select committee.
On the other hand, Congress MLCs have argued for trifurcation of BBMP. The committee would meet for the last time on June 15, and then convey its views to the state government, according to sources in the secretariat of the Legislative Council. In case the government does not give in to opposition to division of BBMP, BJP members are likely to seek more time, perhaps at least a month, as part of their strategy to prevent the state government from taking a decision on the amendment bill, sources added.
BJP MLCs, however, do not want to defeat the amendment bill in the Legislative Council as that would make it easy for the state government to table it afresh in the Legislative Assembly and go ahead with division of BBMP.
In the last meeting, BJP members objected to the government’s views on developed and underdeveloped wards of BBMP. However the ruling party members said following incorporation of seven erstwhile CMCs and one TMC, BBMP was not able to provide justice to newly created wards. Therefore, trifurcation of BBMP was a necessity for good governance, they said while justifying the move to split the urban local body.
Under rule 116, the select committee has to submit its report to the House within three months. The chairman of the select committee, however, could seek one month’s extension. Besides its chairman Mr Patil, R.V. Venkatesh, Veranna Mattikatti, V.S. Ugrappa, Govinda Raj and Ivan D’ Souza (all Congress), V. Somanna, B Ramachandra Gowda, Vimala Gowda, R.K. Siddaramanna and Ashwathnarayana (all BJP), and V. Krishnappa and Sharavana representing JD(S) are members of the select committee.
