From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Oct 5: The new-found bonhomie between the ruling Congress party and the opposition JD(S) that resulted in the two parties capturing control of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) despite the BJP emerging as the single largest party, has been taken a step further with the JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy lambasting the saffron leaders for 'politicising’ the Kalasa-Banduri project issue.

The State JD(S) Working President and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy said there was no justification for the BJP criticism of the Siddaramaiah regime’s handling of the Kalasa-Banduri project issue and has thereby indirectly supported Congress leadership for the delay in implementation of the project.

Kumaraswamy, who spoke to reporters in Bengaluru on Monday, said the details of controversial project from its inception to present status were a clear case of the BJP State leaders ``misleading’ the public on the implementation of project.

The former chief minister urged the State BJP leaders to prevail upon the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give consent to start the project with subject to final award of the tribunal which adjudicating the dispute, if they were really keen on the early implementation of the project.

The BJP leaders have been unnecessarily blaming the Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Kumaraswamy said and pointed out that in actual sense it was the then NDA government, which had stalled the project.

The JD(S) leader condemned the language used by his own party legislator Magadi Balakrishna of Magadi for criticising the leaders for failing to implement the project.

“The words used by our MLA is in bad taste and such kind of words should not be used against the leaders or farmers. I will condemn usage of such word by our MLA,’’ Kumaraswamy said.

“When I was the Chief Minister in BJP- JD(S) alliance government, the then minister Jagadish Shettar prevailed upon me to give in principle approval to start the project. However, I have explained him regarding technical and legal issues involved in project but Shettar said that BJP has not bothered about implementation of the project, but it want publicity if government gives approval for the project,” Kumaraswamy said.