Govt trumpets its schemes at Lalbagh flower show

With Assembly elections round the corner, the Congress government in the state appears to be leaving no opportunity to showcase its schemes.

The government has set up a stall near the Glass House, exhibiting various schemes for Bengaluru launched by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the past four years. The 100 X 100 ft stall is set up by the Information Department. “This is the first time such a stall has been set up in any flower show. The government has not paid for it. Normally, we charge Rs 20,000 for a stall,” said a senior horticulture department official.

Visitors are greeted by a tall statue of Kempegowda. Inside the brightly lit stall, there is a model of the Namma Metro, showing the green and purple lines. There are boards and cutouts of the chief minister launching his various Bhagya schemes. There are also photographs of various infrastructure projects launched in the city.

The highlight is the bioscope, which has a film about the Siddaramaiah government, catching the attention of many children. “The stall is unique in Lalbagh and looked like the entrance to a royal palace. When we went in, it was all about Siddaramaiah,” said Supriya M, a visitor.

According to the horticulture department, Lalbagh saw 5.08 lakh visitors since August 4 with 60% of them visiting the chief minister’s stall.