“The City has received huge sums of money for infrastructure development under JnNURM. It is an opportunity for the City dwellers. I don’t mind people rejecting the party at the polls. But they will have to regret in future if they fail to be attentive in proper utilisation of funds,” Kumaraswamy said at the rally organised by the JD(S) and Left parties to protest the price rise.

The former chief minister, who seemed to be struggling to come to terms with the party’s severe drubbing at the BBMP polls took a dig at the newly-elected Mayor and Deputy Mayor demanding high-end cars costing Rs 25 lakh each. “It shows what their priorities are,” he chided.

He further ridiculed the Mayor for his recent inspection of the asphalting work. The Mayor was seen as touching the surface of a newly-laid road to check the quality. He questioned whether the Mayor was an engineer to gauge the quality.

Kumaraswamy said he smells a rat in the government’s decision to construct a metro rail station on Sampige road in Malleswarm under PPP model. The private partner will spend Rs 38 crore for the station and the government in turn, will give 5.5 acres of prime land, which is worth nearly Rs 200 crore. The chief minister has taken an unilateral decision in this regard without calling tender to select the private partner, he alleged.

While the monsoon will set in soon, the government has no plans yet to deal with waterlogging and inundation of residential areas. “The chief minister is on a high after winning Palike polls. His government, however, lacks the ability to address people’s problems,” he alleged.

The huge gathering at the rally, Kumaraswamy claimed, proves that the JD(S) is still alive in City despite poor performance in the polls. The performance of the BJP in the coming days will prove whether people supported it or it came to power by misusing official machinery, he said.