Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Mar 15: The Karnataka Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)] staged a protest on Saturday against the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, alleging that it was designed to benefit the real estate mafia while sidelining the interests of Kannadigas for political gain.
Party workers gathered at Freedom Park, raising slogans against the Congress-led state government and opposing the formation of Greater Bengaluru. The protest intensified when demonstrators attempted to move onto the streets, prompting police intervention. Protesters were detained and transported to an undisclosed location.
JD(S) leaders have announced plans to submit a formal petition to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, urging him to reject the Bill, which proposes restructuring Bengaluru’s governance by dividing the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) into seven administrative zones.
Leading the protest, JD(S) city unit president H. M. Ramesh Gowda alleged that the government's real intention was to enable large-scale land scams and diminish the role of Kannadigas in their own city. "The Greater Bengaluru plan is nothing but a strategy to benefit the land mafia and push local citizens to the margins," he stated.
He warned that if the government fails to withdraw the Greater Bengaluru Bill, JD(S) will intensify its agitation. "We will ensure that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, and Congress MLAs cannot hold public events in the city. Every event they attend will be met with black-badge protests," he declared.
Highlighting Bengaluru’s worsening water crisis, Gowda criticized the state government for failing to address urgent civic issues. "Even before peak summer, Bengaluru residents are struggling to secure water. The cost of a single tanker has surged to ?5,000–6,000, yet the Congress government is focused on its political agenda instead of solving real problems," he asserted.
He also accused the government of imposing an additional financial burden of ?43,000 crore since coming to power, calling it an unfair economic strain on citizens.
The protest saw participation from key JD(S) leaders, including MLC T. A. Javarayi Gowda, former MLC K A Tippeswamy, Bengaluru JD(S) women’s wing president Shailaja Rao, and other senior members such as Nagesh Rao, Venkataswamy, Venugopal, Mangalamma, Praveen Kumar, Samuel, and Aproz Beg. Leaders and workers from various Assembly constituencies across Bengaluru also joined the demonstration.
The Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024, was passed in the Legislative Assembly amid a walkout by the opposition. The Bill seeks to decentralize Bengaluru’s administration by dividing the city into multiple corporations, a move JD(S) claims is politically motivated and detrimental to the city's native population.