On Wednesday Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the meeting was not an official one and the 'DCM was present there'.
Published Jun 14, 2023 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jun 14, 2023 | 3:08 PM
Meeting at Shangri-La Hotel by Congress on Tuesday
The ruling Congress in Karnataka found itself in an embarrassing position when Opposition parties shared a photograph of a meeting called by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.
It would have been just another routine meeting between Shivakumar, Congress MLAs from Bengaluru, and top bureaucrats of the city, except for one element: The presence of All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala.
The photo of the meeting — held at the Shangri-La Bengaluru Hotel on Tuesday, 13 June, morning, and did not feature on Shivakumar’s official “day plan” released by his office — turned into ammo for Opposition parties that sought to know why a Congress leader from outside Karnataka was participating in a meeting convened by the deputy chief minister and attended by top bureaucrats.
The presence of an AICC office-bearer, who has no post or position in the Karnataka government, at a meeting where officials of the Karnataka government were also participating, raised questions of propriety.
Last week, Surjewala claimed he had issued a “terse warning” to Karnataka’s Animal Husbandry minister K Venkatesh over his comments on the Cattle Protection Bill.
The statement drew flak over whether a party functionary could dictate terms to a minister in the Karnataka Cabinet.
On Tuesday evening, the BJP tweeted a photo of the Surjewala at the congregation, deeming it a “secret meeting”, and raised the bogey of interference.
The “secret meeting” held at Bangalore’s Shangri-La Hotel is just another way of ‘Gandhis!’ trying to control Karnataka.
The family have sent their close aide Randeep Surjewala, who neither holds any position at BDA/BBMP nor in the government to decide on Karnataka’s matters.… pic.twitter.com/CTioPhUh0S
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) June 13, 2023
In the photo, Surjewala was seen sitting at a par with Shivakumar, who was chairing the meeting, while other Congress MLAs from Bengaluru and bureaucrats were sitting along the table.
Sources from inside the meeting told South First that development strategies for Bengaluru — especially during the upcoming monsoon season, including traffic management — and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections were discussed in the meeting, all in Surjewala’s presence.
Bureaucrats from the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the BBMP were seen in the meeting, along with Congress leaders like Rizwan Arshad, Ramalinga Reddy, KJ George, and BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan.
Bureaucrats at the meeting included BDA Commissioner Rakesh Singh and BBMP Special Commissioner Tushar Girinath, and members of the BBMP Restructuring Committee.
Both the Opposition parties — the BJP and the JD(S) — went all out against the Congress over the photograph.
Questions were raised over whether it was just a “government meeting’ or a “political meet”.
Sources privy to the meeting told South First that it was “just a breakfast gathering”.
“It was neither a political meeting nor a government meeting, and Randeep Singh Surjewala’s presence at the meeting was for a brief amount of time. Soon after breakfast, we left for the BDA office, where we again had a brief meeting, after which we set out for the city, checking traffic congestion and storm water drain blockades,” an official source privy to the developments told South First.
Soon after the second meeting, Shivakumar and his team of officials, including engineers, visited areas in Bengaluru that had bottlenecks of traffic movement and HBR Layout’s Telecom Layout, where traffic congestion was prevalent, said the source.
The meeting was regarding issues prevailing in Bengaluru city. Contextually, there were discussions about the (civic body) elections, Siddaramaiah said. The DCM was going to inspect the Hebbal flyover in the city and Surjewala was also asked to attend it.
They also visited the “badly designed” Hebbal flyover without extra lanes, and its probable solutions were reportedly discussed.
“Also, the traffic movement on the Hanging Bridge in KR Puram along the congestion that is unavoidable near the Railway Station” came up for discussion, said the source.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Wednesday, said that the meeting was not an official one.
“Surjewala did not officiate any meeting. He has only spoken to some MLAs. The Deputy chief minister (DK Shivakumar) was present there. It was a meeting which the DCM had attended,” Siddaramaiah told reporters.
“You must understand that it is not an official meeting. The Bengaluru city MLAs were summoned for the Bengaluru civic body election where he (Surjewala) had also gone,” the chief minister said.
JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy asked whether the state government was led by Siddaramaiah or someone from 10th Janpath in Delhi, referring to the residence of former AICC chief Sonia Gandhi.
He pointed out that Kannadigas had voted for their own government and not for a puppet government.
ರಾಜ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿರುವುದು ಶ್ರೀ ಸಿದ್ದರಾಮಯ್ಯನವರ ನೇತೃತ್ವದ ಸರಕಾರವೋ ಅಥವಾ ದಿಲ್ಲಿಯ ಜನಪಥ ರಸ್ತೆಯ 10ನೇ ನಂಬರಿನ ಹಂಗಿನ ಸರಕಾರವೋ? ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರು ಮತ ಹಾಕಿದ್ದು ಕೈ ಸರಕಾರಕ್ಕಾ?ಅಥವಾ ಕೈಗೊಂಬೆ ಸರಕಾರಕ್ಕಾ??
ಪಾಪ.. ಜನರ ವೋಟು ಹಂಗಿನ ಸರಕಾರದ ಪಾಲಾಗಿದೆ.ಸರಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ ತಿಂಗಳು ತುಂಬುವ ಮೊದಲೇ ಅದು ಸಾಬೀತಾಗಿದೆ.1/3#ಹತ್ತನೇ_ನಂಬರಿನ_ಹಂಗಿನ_ಸರಕಾರ pic.twitter.com/gUxStWCgrx
— ಹೆಚ್.ಡಿ.ಕುಮಾರಸ್ವಾಮಿ | H.D.Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) June 13, 2023
BJP MLC Ravikumar told South First that they had come to know about Surjewala being a part of the meeting attended by Congress ministers and bureaucrats.
In what capacity did he participate in the meeting, asked the lawmaker.
“He is neither an MLA nor an MP from the state. What authority does he have to chair a state meeting?”
Retorting to the Congress’ allegation of corruption against it, the BJP sought to know if this meeting was “where ’85 percent’ deals are being orchestrated by #ATMSarkara to raise funds”.
BJP MLA Basanagouda R Patil Yatnal asked: “Is @rssurjewala Super Chief Minister of Karnataka? Under what capacity he called for a meeting of the BBMP Commissioner, ACS Urban Development and BDA Chief? I heard Advocate General was also present in this Meeting Conducted by Congress Party in-charge? [sic]”
Is @rssurjewala Super Chief Minister of Karnataka?
Under what capacity he called for a meeting of the BBMP Commissioner, ACS Urban Development and BDA Chief?
I heard Advocate General was also present in this Meeting Conducted by Congress Party in-charge?
I urge @BBMPCOMM to… https://t.co/Qv6hqrid69
— Basanagouda R Patil (Yatnal) (@BasanagoudaBJP) June 13, 2023
Screenshot of the now-deleted tweet by Karnataka minister Zameer Ahmed Khan with the controversial photos.
The Congress found itself in more soup when minister Zameer Ahmed Khan tweeted the controversial photos.
Khan shared the photos with a tweet on how he had attended a meeting called by Shivakumar to discuss various issues about Bengaluru. He even tagged Surjewala.
However, the tweet was deleted soon, but the damage had already been done.
Sources from the Congress claimed Surjewala and Shivakumar were fuming after the photos were shared in the public domain — first by Opposition parties and then the Congress’ own minister.
Meanwhile, the Twitter handle of the Congress in Karnataka, which is generally quick to deliver retorts and clarifications when under attack from the Opposition, chose to remain silent over the photos on Tuesday.
Despite several taunts by the BJP and the JD(S), the Congress did not respond or react to the photos and allegations that came with the meeting.
(The story is updated with Karnataka chief minister’s quote)
