Bengaluru
Opposition Leader R. Ashok announced that BJP representatives will launch a weeklong campaign against the Congress government over Bengaluru’s mounting garbage and pothole problems.
Addressing reporters after a meeting with MLAs and MPs, Ashok said the campaign, beginning November 6 and continuing till November 15, would include inspections and a signature drive in all assembly constituencies. “Due to the Congress government’s misgovernance, Bengaluru has become a garbage city. Potholes and heaps of waste have turned roads unsafe. We will fight against the government that has betrayed the city,” he said.
He said that public opinion will also be gathered on the A Khata and B Khata property issues.
Ashoka alleged that the government had devised these schemes to extract money from citizens under the pretext of development. “The government has no funds for Bengaluru’s growth and is resorting to measures that overburden the public. People can’t afford such heavy payments,” he said. He accused the government of increasing property registration fees by 5% to earn commissions and imposing a garbage cess that adds to citizens’ financial strain. “BESCOM too is collecting excess money through OC and CC charges, and those seeking temporary electricity connections are being forced to pay triple rates,” he stated. “People don’t want an expensive, branded Bengaluru; they want a city that cares for ordinary citizens,” Ashoka asserted.
Ashoka also criticized tunnel road projects and park demolitions, calling them unnecessary expenditures. “There’s no need to destroy Lalbagh or dig tunnels to please Delhi leaders. Even the steel bridge plan was opposed earlier—we demanded concrete solutions instead,” he recalled.
Highlighting rising prices and farmers’ distress, Ashok said he would visit Chamarajanagar to join farmer protests. He challenged the Congress to present its development record and clarify leadership issues, saying, and “Let them declare Siddaramaiah will remain CM for five years — only then will we stay quiet.”
