From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Belagavi, Dec 14: Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar revealed on Friday that 10 non-Congress legislators, including H Vishwanath and BJP MLAs S T Somashekar and Shivaram Hebbar, attended the dinner hosted by the Congress party for its legislators in Belagavi on Thursday night.
Addressing the media after the Congress legislature party meeting on Thursday attended by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at the Belagavi Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar clarified that Somashekar and Hebbar, along with others, did not however attend the Congress Legislature Party meeting.
"How can non-party members attend our legislature party meeting?" he questioned, adding, "What is wrong with attending the dinner? Everybody has to eat," he quipped.
However, Shivakumar declined to respond to questions regarding whether the Congress party is luring leaders and legislators from other parties. "We will tell you when we have something happening. These cannot be done secretly. Our party has nothing to hide," he asserted.
Responding to the BJP's plans to seek a discussion on the State Government's decision to withdraw permission to the CBI to investigate the disproportionate assets case against him, Shivakumar said, "They are free to discuss anything under the rules. It is for the Speaker to allow a discussion or not. I have nothing to say."
The deputy chief minister emphasised that the BJP and others are free to raise any issue as they are also members of the House and are entitled to seek a debate on any issue. "I can only say, all the best to them," he added.
Meeting of Bengaluru legislators to discuss white topping
The deputy chief minister assured that he would convene a meeting of all Bengaluru legislators soon to discuss the white topping of roads by BBMP.
Responding to a question from H S Gopinath in the Legislative Council, he highlighted the need for white topping due to heavy traffic causing potholes in roads. He mentioned an allocation of Rs 1,000 crore for white topping and expressed the government's focus on improving revenue generation for BBMP.
Shivakumar also touched upon Bengaluru's traffic issues, stating that discussions with institutions were ongoing to address traffic woes using technology, including artificial intelligence.
He emphasised the importance of long-term planning for the high traffic on five arterial roads in the city.
Crime prevention and protection of government assets
In response to legislator Bharathi Shetty's query on crime prevention, Shivakumar acknowledged the concerns for Bengaluru's cleanliness and discussed ongoing efforts to address solid waste management challenges.
He mentioned the collection of over 70,000 suggestions for Brand Bengaluru and plans for development under various sectors. Additionally, he highlighted Bengaluru's contribution to technology export revenues in the country.
Regarding the observation that BDA is losing most of its cases to private individuals in the Supreme Court, Shivakumar agreed with the concerns, calling it a "big mafia" with no accountability.
He mentioned discussions with advocates of BDA and BBMP to evaluate their performance and win percentages in handling government asset protection cases.
The deputy chief minister reiterated the government's commitment to addressing various challenges facing Bengaluru and encouraged collaboration for the city's sustainable development.