'Siddaramaiah was scared, I would have done it': Karnataka Dy CM DKS sparks buzz around controversial bridge project

Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s recent comments on boss Siddaramaiah’s lack of confidence over the construction of a steel bridge in Bengaluru’s Hebbal have brought into focus a possible rift between the duo. Addressing an audience at the Kempegowda Jayanti Jayanti event in Vidhan Soudha, Shivakumar said, “In 2017, CM Siddaramaiah and KJ George (then Bengaluru City Development minister) were scared about protests against a steel flyover in the city. If it was me, I wouldn’t have succumbed to the sound made by protesters and gone ahead with the project, no matter what the consequence is.” The project he was referring to involved the construction of a 6.7 km-long steel flyover from Basaveshwara Circle to Hebbal Junction that would have improved connectivity to Bengaluru’s flyover. The project required the razing of over 800 trees and hence had invited a severe backlash. Incidentally, Siddaramaiah was not present at the event when the deputy chief minister made the comment. Shivakumar added that he will not hesitate to take some tough decisions this term that will help Bengaluru in the future. “Even now, I’ll take some decisions. Let the ranters rant, keep the eggs ready and protesters picket. I’ll keep moving on. This is one opportunity we have to leave something behind,” he said according to Deccan Herald. The deputy chief minister’s comment comes a month after Congress secured a victory in Karnataka following which the party spent days deciding who will take the top post as both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar wanted to occupy the chief minister’s chair. Reacting to Shivakumar’s remark on Siddaramaiah, state minister Priyank Kharge told ANI, “I wouldn’t say that Siddaramaiah got scared. The Chief Minister is sensitive to public opinion. Sometimes, false narratives get floated and good decisions are delayed. I think that is what the Deputy Chief Minister meant.” Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook_,_  Twitter and  Instagram_._