The KRS road in Mysuru. There is a proposal to name a part of this road after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
| Photo Credit: file photo
Janata Dal (S) leader and Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, H.D. Kumaraswamy, has urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to break his silence on the row over naming a stretch of KRS road in Mysuru after him.
Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the Chief Minister was neither expressing himself in favour of the proposal to name the road after him nor was he opposing it, but was merely maintaining a strategic silence on the issue.
If Mr. Siddaramaiah wished to have anything named after him, he should consider Kesare village that made national news recently, the Union Minister said sarcastically referring to the controversy over alleged irregularities in the allotment of Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) sites to the Chief Minister’s wife in lieu of her land in Kesare village that was acquired for developing a layout.
Pointing out that it was the duty of a people’s representative to serve the people, Mr. Kumaraswamy questioned Mr. Siddaramaiah’s contribution to the people of Mysuru despite enjoying power as Deputy Chief Minister, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, and Chief Minister.
The JD (S) leader said he was ready for a debate on his and Mr. Siddaramaiah’s contribution to Mysuru and recalled the significant financial allocations he had made to Mysuru during his term as Chief Minister in 2006-07.
He recalled the houses built under Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission and other projects for stormwater drains.
Claiming he could provide a list of his contributions to Mysuru during his 18-month tenure as Chief Minister in 2006-07, Mr. Kumaraswamy asked if he should ask for roads and areas be named after him.
He said the Chief Minister should have by now made it clear that he did not wish for the road to be named after him. “Being in the hearts of the people is what truly matters,” Mr. Kumarswamy remarked.
Post for Nikhil
Responding to queries on media reports speculating a move in the party to anoint his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy as the party State president, Mr. Kumaraswamy sought to make it clear that no discussion on the issue had taken place so far.
“Have I said that Nikhil will be made the party president? It is only a speculation in the media. No such discussions have taken place in the party”, he said, adding that the priority before the party was to hold organisational elections.
Published – January 04, 2025 07:52 pm IST
