HD Kumaraswamy promises to free Bengaluru from ‘stagnation’

Bengaluru: With the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) elections approaching, senior JD(S) functionaries sharpened their attack on the Congress govt, as party state president and Union minister HD Kumaraswamy sought a clear mandate, promising to free the state and Bengaluru from the "current stagnation".Addressing party workers at Kommaghatta near Kengeri during the party's silver jubilee convention Saturday, Kumaraswamy said, "Give us one chance under my leadership, and I will free the state and Bengaluru from the current stagnation. I led coalition govts twice, but alliance considerations limited my ability to govern effectively. JD(S) is not just a rural party — it also works for urban areas, including Bengaluru."Positioning himself on Bengaluru's infrastructure push, he said key projects now being discussed were first proposed during his tenure nearly 15 years ago. "I had decided to build several flyovers and tunnel roads in Bengaluru. The Peripheral Ring Road project was also planned at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore. However, successive govts failed to complete these projects. Now, the state govt has started talking about tunnel roads and it looks like it won't happen anytime soon," Kumaraswamy said, urging Bengalureans to support JD(S) for the city's development. Recalling his tenure, he also said he prioritised Metro expansion and widened more than 56 roads.Kumaraswamy also accused the Congress govt of demolishing houses in Kogilu and Thanisandra and using the issue for political gains. He asked party workers to dedicate at least one hour daily to strengthen the party at the grassroots, while leaving alliance calls to the leadership.JD(S) supremo and former PM HD Deve Gowda, 93, also targeted the state govt, calling it the "worst ever", and predicted it may not last two more years. He urged chief minister Siddaramaiah to learn from Prime Minister Modi. "Modi invited us to join him, and I agreed after we faced repeated setbacks while being with Congress. Today, Kumaraswamy has been given an opportunity to serve as a Union minister," he said, calling on the party workers to unite behind the minister's leadership.
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