HDK decries move to shift Aero India venue

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has accused the Defence ministry of planning to shift the Aero India show from Bengaluru to Lucknow this year, with an eye on the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking to media persons at the Hubballi airport on Sunday, the chief minister said that the Bengaluru had all the infrastructure to host the show and the city had become synonymous with the event. “The venue has been planned to be shifted to Lucknow since BJP has a huge voter base in Uttar Pradesh,” he said. However, the chief minister said that he had not received any official communication from the Defence minister in this regard.

Kumaraswamy was in the city to take part in a programme for the inauguration of new taluk court complex.

The chief minister said that he would earmark Rs 2,000 crore for development of each district, beginning next year. Bad weather in Hubballi prevented the chief minister and Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar from visiting Almatti reservoir in Bagalkot district on Sunday. The two were scheduled to officer Bagina to River Krishna.

A press release from Chief Minister’s office said Kumaraswamy along with Shivakumar waited at the Hubballi airport for more than two hours.

However the continuous drizzle did not allow the helicopter to take off. “On the advice of pilot the Almatti trip was canceled,” said the release.