Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 27 : BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Saturday criticised the Karnataka Congress government over potholes on Bengaluru roads, urging Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to prioritise improving the road conditions.
Surya alleged that the repeated filling of potholes is a scam, likening it to a "golden goose" for the state government, and accused them of misusing public funds and trust.
"The Deputy CM must focus on how Bengaluru's roads can be made better. If the roads of Delhi are bad, then the people of Delhi will ask questions to the appropriate authority there... Filling of potholes repeatedly is also an ongoing scam... Potholes for the Congress government in Karnataka are like a golden goose that continuously keeps giving them money. It is unfortunate that public money and trust are being eroded in this manner...," Tejasvi Surya said.
On Wednesday, Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA K Gopalaiah and party workers staged a protest in front of Kanteerava Studios in Bengaluru against the Congress government over the potholes in the city.
BJP leader NL Narendra Babu slammed Congress and called Bengaluru a "pothole city".
He told ANI, "Bengaluru was once called a retired man's paradise, IT City and BT City. Today, it has become a 'pothole city'. Who is responsible for this?"
Narendra Babu added that government officials are not filling up the potholes, despite directions from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar.
"The present Government, where recently the CM said potholes should be filled up within one month. What were they doing all these days? Even the Deputy CM has warned the officers, but what is happening? The officers are not coming to the streets. Roads and footpaths of Bengaluru are not in order. We have come to the street to protest and fill up the potholes," he said.
Meanwhile, DK Shivakumar blamed the previous BJP government in the State for the potholes on roads.
"The BJP will never be happy. All these potholes have come under the BJP regime. They are responsible for the bad administration of the roads in Karnataka," Shivakumar told reporters in Patna.
This comes amid mounting criticism from opposition parties and members of civil society for the alleged lack of road maintenance in Bengaluru, which has resulted in numerous potholes.