Siddaramaiah urged Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to postpone the inauguration of the bridge saying he was not informed in advance.
Published Jul 14, 2025 | 4:28 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 14, 2025 | 4:58 PM
Nitin Gadkari's (right) office issued a letter that invited Siddaramaiah to the function.
Synopsis: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the central government has started the latest friction. Proper protocol was not followed. In centrally-sponsored schemes, the state also plays a role, and Karnataka has followed all protocols.
A bridge in Shivamogga has become the latest bone of contention between the Karnataka government and the Centre.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wrote to the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, on 11 July, requesting the postponement of the inauguration of the Sagar-Sigandur bridge.
Siddaramaiah requested the postponement, saying he was not informed in advance about the inauguration of the 2.1 kilometre bridge — Karnataka’s longest inland cable-stayed bridge — across the Sharavathi River.
In an X post, the chief minister said he received a late invitation and had prior development programmes scheduled in Vijayapura’s Indi taluk.
Though his name appeared on the invitation, he was not informed in advance. Siddaramaiah urged the Centre to coordinate with the state government in the future for such major events and asked for alternative dates so he could participate in this significant state-level programme.
Responding to media queries on the inauguration of development works in Sigandur, the chief minister said that he had spoken over the phone and written to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, requesting that the event scheduled in Sagar taluk be postponed.
Although the Union Minister had agreed to postpone it, the programme was held on Monday, 14 July, under pressure from local BJP leaders without informing him, the chief minister said.
Siddaramaiah said he had scheduled commitments in Vijayapura district and hence could not attend the event in Sagar taluk. As a mark of protest against the BJP’s unilateral action, no ministers or local MLAs from the state government would participate in the event.
“It is the central government that has started this friction. Proper protocol was not followed. In centrally-sponsored schemes, the state also plays a role, and we have always adhered to all protocol norms. Yet, for today’s programme, neither the chief minister, the ministers concerned, nor local MLAs were invited,” he said.
Taking to X, the AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala said the BJP and the Modi-led central government have been routinely and continuously insulting Kannadigas.
“For them, Karnataka seems to exist merely as a tax-collection machine’,” he noted.
Surjewala said the Centre’s act was not just “an act of disrespect toward the chief minister,” but also an attack on the self-respect of seven crore Kannadigas and a blow to their collective morale. It amounts to a total disregard and rejection of the entire Kannada-speaking state.
“On one hand, the Modi government is burdening the people of Karnataka with additional toll taxes and exploiting them through continuous toll collection. On the other hand, by making these tolls permanent, they are shamelessly looting the hard-earned money of the people of Karnataka,” he posted.
“Be it in the allocation by the Finance Commission or in the release of central budget grants — the same discrimination and neglect are visible. A clear example is the non-release of funds for the Bhadra Upper Bank Project, which has an estimated cost of ₹5,300 crore. To the Union government, it seems Kannadigas are worth less than dust under their feet,” he further said.
“They have not given approval for the Mekedatu project. They have failed to release funds for the Kalasa-Banduri and Yettinahole projects. Even the verdict of the Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal-2 has not been notified yet,” he added.
The AICC leader said despite having 17 BJP MPs and two JD(S) MPs from Karnataka, not a single major development project has been approved for the state in the past two years.
“Let the BJP learn from history — Kannadigas have never forgiven those who have insulted the pride and self-respect of Karnataka. The people of Karnataka will not forget this injustice and will give a fitting reply in the days to come,” he added.
Even as the issue snowballed into a controversy, Gadkari’s office released a copy of a Union minister-signed letter that invited Siddaramaiah to the inauguration. The letter also invited the chief minister to join the event via a video link if he could not be physically present.
The Sigandur Bridge, also known as the Ambaragodlu-Kalasavalli Bridge, is a massive, extradosed balanced cantilever structure, constructed at a cost of ₹378.3 crore.
The bridge would cut the travel time between Sigandur and Sagar by two hours, currently connected by a barge.
