In an embarrassment to the ruling BJP, Bengaluru legislators across party lines, including its own, alleged discrimination in sanctioning funds for roadworks in their constituencies during a discussion in the legislative assembly on Tuesday.
Dasarahalli MLA R Manjunath was furious during the question hour and slammed the government for failing to release funds.
He was backed by Byatarayanapura’s Congress MLA Krishna Byre Gowda, who said that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had discriminated among assembly constituencies in fund allotment. According to him, different amounts were allocated to different constituencies.
But what fazed the treasury benches were the remarks by Mahadevapura’s BJP MLA and former minister Arvind Limbavali, who raised a similar complaint during the discussion on the matter.
He said that while the work of laying water and underground sanitary pipelines was completed two and a half years ago, only Rs 20 crore is sanctioned in the last four years for Mahadevapura. He accused the government of discriminating against his constituency.
Responding on behalf of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Law Minister J C Madhuswamy refuted the allegations, stressing that funds were not allocated along constituency lines as far as the city’s development was concerned.
Gowda intervened and iterated that the minister’s response contradicted the ground reality. Manjunath flashed an order from the BBMP chief commissioner that allocated funds along constituency lines.
“Some constituencies have received Rs 200 crore for the same amount or slightly more repair works...Injustice is being meted to the city due to this discrimination,” Gowda said.
Madhuswamy replied that he would discuss with the chief minister “if there was any such anomaly.”
Following this, Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri said that the matter could be taken up once Bommai — who is also the Bengaluru city development minister — returned to the House.
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(Published 14 December 2021, 20:35 IST)
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