Siddaramaiah sparks row over remarks on Lingayat, Vokkaligas
Bengaluru, Oct 28: Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday found himself in the midst of a row over his purported remarks about two dominant communities in the State in a video that has gone viral.
The comments were reportedly made during a private conversation with a few Congress leaders recently.
Siddaramaiah is purportedly heard saying Lingayats, a prominent community seen backing the BJP, were now distancing themselves from Lingayat strongman and Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, and the Vokkaligas, another dominant community, disenchanted with the JD(S) and H D Kumaraswamy.
Yediyurappa and Kumaraswamy flayed Siddaramaiah, who is opposition leader in the state assembly, for his alleged comments.
"He is behaving like a dictator as if he is holding all the responsibilities. He believes that the people were with him. I am unable to comprehend why (such) statements are made," Yediyurappa said.
The Chief Minister claimed Siddaramaiah has been trying to create confusion in the Congress.
He reminded him that people were closely noticing all his activities.
Sharing the video, the state BJP unit too slammed the Congress veteran for not rising above "caste based politics."
"India is progressing forward. Will the master of "Appeasement Politics" ever grow beyond Caste?" the party tweeted.
Retorting, Siddaramaiah said "Casual private discussion at my residence is being misinterpreted by BJP leaders to derive sadistic pleasure."
Illumination of truth shall always prevail over the darkness of lies. This will be my Deepavali message to my political rivals," Siddaramaiah tweeted.
He said Ambedkar, Gandhiji, 12th century social reformer Basaveshwara and noted Kannada poet Kuvempu were his inspiration for his commitment to social justice and his effort to dismantle caste structure.
"The statement in the video is, in fact, my expression of happiness that people see beyond the caste to decide their representatives. This is a sign of social progress and matured electorate.
What is wrong if I say that people are being secular?" Siddaramaiah sought to know.
Kumaraswamy also slammed Siddaramaiah for his comments in the video.
"Siddaramaiah is pure secular and we, who had supported him, are communal...," Kumaraswamy sarcastically said.
In a video that has gone viral, @INCKarnataka leader @siddaramaiah is seen commenting that Lingayats are not with CM @BSYBJP and Vokkaligas are no more with former CM @hd_kumaraswamy
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) October 28, 2019
India is progressing forward. Will the master of "Appeasement Politics" ever grow beyond Caste? pic.twitter.com/eyngpSUGKP
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Adani Group emerges lowest bidder for Bengaluru’s 16.75-km tunnel road project
Bengaluru: The Adani Group has become the lowest bidder for both packages of the proposed 16.75-km tunnel road project in Bengaluru, according to sources familiar with the bids opened by Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE).
According to a report published by Deccan Herald on Monday, the government estimated the entire project to cost Rs 17,698 crore, while the Adani Group has quoted Rs 22,267 crore. The ports-to-power conglomerate’s bid is about 24% higher for the first package and 28% higher for the second than the government’s estimates, a gap that could prompt authorities to seek the state Cabinet’s approval on the tenders’ fate.
M Maheshwar Rao, Chief Commissioner of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), who is also the Managing Director of B-SMILE, declined to comment.
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In all, four infrastructure companies had participated in the tenders for the project, which has been proposed under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model, with 40% funding from the government and the remaining investment to be raised by the private concessionaire.
During the technical evaluation, the Adani Group and the Hyderabad-based Vishwa Samudra Engineering Ltd qualified for the financial round.
According to the report, Dilip Buildcon was disqualified due to a clause that bars firms linked to collapsed bridges or tunnels, while Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) was rejected because its joint venture (JV) partner did not meet technical requirements.
With only two companies left in the fray, the Adani Group emerged as the lowest bidder, ahead of Vishwa Samudra.
The tunnel project officially named the North–South underground corridor, is part of the Congress government’s ambitious to ease Bengaluru’s traffic congestion by building two major underground roads (totalling 40 km) along with 13 flyovers and elevated corridors.
The project is the brainchild of Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru development minister.
The proposal, however, has faced criticism and political opposition, especially from senior BJP leaders, who object to the alignment that requires acquiring six acres of Lalbagh Botanical Garden, a historic green space.
As per the report, Urban mobility experts have also warned that the tunnel corridor may clash with the alignment of Namma Metro’s Phase 3A, possibly affecting the metro expansion.
