Bengaluru: Eying a third term in the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka, Union Urban Development minister Venkaiah Naidu said he had included Bengaluru in the second list for the Smart City contest. There have been dissenting voices in the BJP against re-electing Mr Naidu, considered an ‘outsider,’ to the Upper House from the state.
Addressing the Vikas Parva rally here on Friday to mark two years of the Narendra Mod led NDA government, Mr Naidu said the state government had not recommended Bengaluru for the Smart City project. “But I included Bengaluru in the second list for the competition,” he asserted. The Urban development department has finalized 100 cities for the Smart City project, Six cities from Karnataka- Hubballi-Dharwad, Belagavi, Shivamogga, Tumakuru, Davangere and Mangaluru- have already been included under the project.
To neutralize his critics who have been opposing his entry into the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka, Mr. Naidu said, developmental projects in Bengaluru including the suburban train will be implemented on priority. The NDA government is committed to release enough funds for the overall development of the city.
Union minister of state for finance Jayant Sinha said that once the GST bill is passed in both Houses of Parliament, the burden on people will be reduced and the government can concentrate on more developmental works. State BJP president B.S. Yeddyurappa said his aim was to bring the party to power in the 2018 Assembly elections.
