Siddaramaiah should have come back again as CM: Home Minister M B Patil
Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister M B Patil Tuesday made a pitch for Siddaramaiah "as chief minister again," but clarified the present coalition government under H D Kumaraswamy would complete its full term.
"What's wrong in that? Siddaramaiah is our leader in Congress. People want to see him as chief minister again.
"Even we too want to see him as chief minister again. He gave good governance for five years. He should have come back again," Patil told reporters here.
He was responding to a query on "growing demand" among the Congress MLAs to see Siddaramaiah occupy the top post again.
His statement resonates with Chikkaballapura Congress MLA K Sudhakar's remarks on Monday that it would be good if Siddaramaiah becomes chief minister again.
Batting for another term for Siddaramaiah, Patil claimed the former CM brought many pro-people schemes such as farm loan waiver, irrigation schemes, programmes of 'Bhagya' series such as Anna Bhagya, Krishi Bhagya, Ksheera Bhagya etc.
"Siddaramaiah had done a lot of good work. He deserves one more term... But we have to accept people's mandate... When we come to power on our own... but presently that question does not arise.. This government has to complete five years," he said.
"Siddaramaiah has got the eligibility (for second term as chief minister)," Patil added.
After the Congress and JD(S) formed the coalition government following the May 2018 assembly elections, Kumaraswamy took over as the chief minister of the state.
The coalition partners also fought the Lok Sabha elections together though there have been strains between the two ever since.
Many Congress MLAs were not content with the present arrangement and had stated that Siddaramaiah was their leader and they would like to see him chief minister again, an issue that has irked JD(S) leadership.
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No more street vending on B’luru’s main roads, as govt plans to bring new policy for street hawkers
Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday said that the state government has decided to formulate a new policy for footpaths in Bengaluru, under which street vending will not be allowed on main roads and sub-main roads.
Addressing the media after a budget preparation meeting and executive meeting of GBA corporations at Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar said discussions were held with MLAs from the GBA region regarding the corporations’ budgets and key civic issues.
Leader of Opposition R. Ashok also participated in the meeting and shared his views. Officials from multiple departments, including police, BESCOM, BMRCL, BWSSB and BDA, along with ministers and legislators, were present.
He stated that all five municipalities have prepared their individual budgets, while MLAs have submitted their demands, including calls for ward-wise grants.
“We have decided to bring a new policy for footpaths. Citizens are struggling to walk as footpaths are encroached upon by street vendors,” Shivakumar said.
Highlighting the need to balance livelihoods and public convenience, he added that “a separate space will be provided for street vendors, and specific roads will be designated for their business,” ensuring that pedestrians can use footpaths without obstruction. He noted that there was unanimous agreement among MLAs on this approach.
Issuing a warning to vendors, Shivakumar said that authorities will act against those violating the rules. “If vendors operate during the day and leave their carts on the roadside at night, authorities will clear them. People should be aware of this,” he said.
Providing data on street vendors, he said that around 60,000 vendors have registered so far, of which 30,000 have applied for vehicles, and a tender has already been floated.
“Only those with street vendor identity cards will be allowed to do business. Those without ID cards will not be permitted to operate on the streets,” he added.
