A day after Congress leader Mahesh Nalwad staged a unique protest by organising a rangoli competition on damaged roads at Shirur Park in Hubballi, BJP councillors in Hubballi Dharwad Municipal Corporation came together on Monday to criticise the Congress leader and district-in-charge Minister Vinay Kulkarni.
On Sunday, in the rangoli drawing competition organised to draw the attention of the civic authorities to the badly damaged roads at Shirur Park, the participants had drawn a rangoli of Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar as a mark of protest. To mock his apathy towards the city’s problems, his portrait was garlanded and subsequently, the participants were awarded with prizes for the best rangolis.
The protest had subsequently led to immediate action by the municipal authorities, who had pressed personnel to repair the pothole-filled road.
On Monday, a visually embarrassed BJP councillors, led by former Mayor and councillor Viranna Savadi, a close aide of Jagadish Shettar, along with other BJP councillors, took exception to Dr. Nalwad’s protest and alleged that Mr. Vinay Kulkarni and corporation Commissioner Major Siddalingayya Hiremath were responsible for the bad roads. At present, the BJP is in power in Hubblli Dharwad Municipal Corporation.
Mr. Savadi said that the road on which the protest was staged was waiting for a makeover, as the State government had kept the project proposal pending for long. He alleged that Dr. Nalwad, who himself was not sure of getting party ticket to contest against Mr. Shettar in the next Assembly election, was making a desperate attempt to get publicity.
He said Mr. Vinay Kulkarni was creating hurdles for corporation works to tarnish the image of the municipal corporation as the BJP was in power. Mr. Savadi and others said that Dr. Nalwad should have approached Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to get the required funds for development of Shirur Park Road, the proposal of which was pending since long.
They also accused Major Siddalingayya Hiremath of acting according to the directions of the Minister instead of solving the problems of the twin cities.
Charges refuted
However, Major Siddalingayya Hiremath refuted the charges of the BJP leaders and said that road repair works had been taken up in 21 wards in the twin cities and they would be completed before the public celebrations of Ganesh festival began.
He said that several development works had been taken up simultaneously in the twin cities and since the twin cities were not planned ones, citizens would face some problems.
But the municipal corporation was doing its best to mitigate the problems of the citizens, he said.
He clarified that he was working as per the decisions taken in the municipal council meeting and he was not under working under any pressure
Meanwhile, the BJP councillors have threatened to hold a protest in front of the residence of Mr. Vinay Kulkarni if he failed to get the required funds released from the government for the twin cities and to conduct a review meeting at the municipal corporation.