HD Kumaraswamy slams Siddaramaiah, paints Congress govt with BJP brush

Bengaluru: Calling Chief Minister Siddaramaiah a “bigger liar than former Chief Minister Veerappa Moily” when speaking about Bengaluru’s affairs, state JD(S) president H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday charged the present government with following the “precedent of the BJP in looting the BBMP.”

Speaking to reporters here, Mr Kumaraswamy came down hard on the remark of Bengaluru Development Minister, K J George that he could not hold an umbrella for the city when it was raining.

“Already 15 to 16 people have lost their lives in the rain. Where is this government taking the city to? I am ready for a public debate with Mr Siddaramiah on how his government is running Bengaluru,'' he added

Mr Kumaraswamy also charged the government with paying 22 per cent above the tender rates to de-silt the city’s storm water drains.

“The government paid Rs 800 crore as advance to contractors and later took back the money and sent it to Uttar Pradesh for the elections. Worse, some of the blacklisted contractors from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh were awarded the contract,” he claimed

Maintaining there were discrepancies in executing the TenderSURE project as well, he said, “In phase one, eight roads were estimated to be built at a cost of '56 crore. But this was enhanced to Rs 61.6 crore and finally reached '86 crore. There was 70 per cent escalation in cost for 7 km of road and now these roads are experiencing waterlogging.” Referring to the garbage crisis, he said although Mr Siddaramaiah had promised to clear it in one year, there were piles of it across the city.

‘CM was once ready to join BJP’
State JD(S) chief H.D. Kumaraswamy claimed on Tuesday that CM Siddaramaiah was once ready to join the BJP as he was afraid he would lose the top job to senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and stayed back only after the latter was given a Parliament ticket and packed off to the Centre.

“At one point of time Siddaramaiah was desperate and felt that he would not be made the next CM. So he met senior BJP leader L K Advani along with P Kodandaramaiah and Mukudappa. People like H Vishwanath stopped him. Later, Kharge was given a Parliament ticket and sent to Delhi. Only then, after he was given opposition leader status, did Siddaramaiah decide to stay back,” he said.

The Janata Dal (Secular) leader said, “Now, Mr Siddaramaiah talks as if he is a champion of the minorities. But when he wanted power, he was ready to join the Bharatiya Janata Party.