Bangalore MPs attack CM Siddaramaiah for decision to split BBMP

BENGALURU: The three MPs representing Bengaluru in the Lok Sabha have opposed chief minister Siddaramaiah's idea of trifurcating the monolithic Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike ( BBMP), thereby challenging the March 20 decision of the state Cabinet. Their views, which are broadly in sync with the BJP's, could throw a spanner in the works of Siddaramaiah's pet idea.

The MPs, who belong to the BJP , told ET they are together on this subject, and will decide on how they should deal with it.Union Law Minister DV Sadananda Gowda, elected from Bengaluru North, said there was a plan to split the city even as the national capital was thinking of combining its three separate civic bodies into one and benefit from the advantage of scale.

“To have one civic body with a large population is beneficial from the point of view of getting higher grants from the Centre,“ Gowda said, adding, “Trifurcation is a politically-motivated decision without any sound logic or rationale. If the government were to go ahead this, the entire Bengaluru city will suffer for many years to come.“

Union Chemicals & Fertiliser Minister Ananth Kumar slammed the chief minister for hurriedly pushing the subject before the Cabinet without consulting the elected representatives of the city . “I am very upset about this. None of us have been consulted, and I have told the CM that this is not the way to go about things.First of all, he should have gone for a pub lic hearing, but there is no semblance of that happening. This is total dictatorship, and unacceptable to us,“ he said.Kumar is the sixth-term MP from Bengaluru South.

Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan was critical of the CM for thinking of dividing BBMP instead of working on strengthening the city infrastructure.“Bengaluru generates about 70 % of revenues for the state, but the CM pays little or no attention to issues dogging the city.The CM should fix revenue leaks in BBMP first, tone up the administration, and generously support it with funds for improving the city infrastructure,“ Mohan said.

His preferred model of Bengaluru, Ananth Kumar said, is one BBMP with an empowered mayor-in-council. “We can move to have a directly-elected mayor for a five-year period. I am expecting the CM to call us for a meeting. I will be writing to him expressing our displeasure at the trifurcation decision.“

Gowda sought to clarify that his opposition to the proposed trifurcation does not mean he was opposed to reforms. “Even if they want to have a restructuring, they must first discuss the proposal with elected representatives, and take the opinion of citizens. The CM cannot impose his ideas upon Bengaluru. I am all for revamp to tighten the administration.If the government wants to create more divisions within the BBMP and have more commissioners to improve the delivery of services, it can do that. But the government should first retain the civic body as a single entity ,“ he said.