From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Mysuru, Jan 4: Instead of naming the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) stretch of road in Mysuru after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, roads around Kesarahalli or Devanuru in the historic city should get the honour, said Union Minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy in Mysuru on Saturday.
Taking a dig at the chief minister for his enigmatic silence on the Mysuru City Corporation’s controversial proposal to name the stretch of KRS Road from Lakshmi Venkataswamy Temple to the Outer Ring Road of Mysuru city as “Siddaramaiah Arogya Marga,” Kumaraswamy said roads around Kesarahalli or Devanuru must be named after the Chief Minister as they are the places in which Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi was allotted 14 valuable sites by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), which sparked off a huge controversy.
The JD(S) leader alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was himself behind the move as is evident from his enigmatic silence on the issue.
Speaking to the media ahead of the DISHA meeting in Mysuru, the Union Minister said: “Perhaps the chief minister aspires to have a road named after him. His strategic silence and mobilisation of party workers suggest so.”
“If he genuinely wishes for something to be named after him, let him consider Devanuru or Kesarahalli. After all, those are places where he claims to have achieved the most," Kumaraswamy said with a touch of sarcasm.
The JD(S) leader questioned the necessity of protests by BJP saying, "Why protest under the sun? It's evident that the CM himself is behind this initiative. Even when the renaming of Princess Road was being debated, he stayed silent! If he truly wants his name on something, let him consider Kesarahalli instead of removing existing names honouring the Maharajas."
Recalling his tenure as CM, Kumaraswamy challenged, "When I was with the BJP, how much did I contribute to Mysuru? Let there be a discussion on what Siddaramaiah has delivered as deputy CM, opposition leader, and twice as CM."
Kumaraswamy said that, “In 2006-2007, I allocated significant grants to Mysuru, approved numerous housing projects, and improved waterways. Through the JnNURM scheme, I brought Rs 2,000 crore in funding. Have I ever demanded that roads or areas be named after me? What truly matters is self-satisfaction from one’s work, which resides in the hearts of the people."
He also attacked the State Government’s decision for a 15% hike in bus fares in all state transport undertakings. “Any burden resulting from this hike in bus fares falls solely on the public, not the ministers. Why should they care? They’re looting people’s pockets and celebrating.“
“The citizens who voted for them are now suffering. Both signatories of the five guarantees, including CM Siddaramaiah, had assured the public of their promises. I won’t name the other signatory, but wasn’t Siddaramaiah considered the biggest financial expert after Dr Manmohan Singh? Yet, instead of public development, this government is focused on ministerial growth. People’s welfare is secondary to them, and corruption reigns supreme. Even Ashraya housing projects aren’t spared from this,” he alleged.
'All JDS MLS are united'
The JD(S) leader claimed that his party has 18 MLAs and they are united. “MLA Harish Gowda has echoed the same, and our legislators recently met in Belagavi. They will remain with us,” he said.
Kumaraswamy compared the differences between senior JD(S) leader G T Deve Gowda and other JD(S) MLAs to “household disagreements”.
“Differences like those between MLA G T Devegowda and others are like the occasional quarrel between husband and wife — it is resolved by the time they sleep. There is no discord within our party,” he said.
Asked about the appointment of his son, Nikhil Kumaraswamy becoming the state president of JD(S), Kumaraswamy clarified, “No such discussion has occurred on the party platform. Institutional elections will take place, and the president will be selected through proper procedures.”