Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) spokesperson M. Lakshmana on Sunday, September 3, dared Pratap Simha, Mysuru MP, and G.T. Deve Gowda, Chamundeshwari MLA, for a debate on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s contribution to Mysuru.
Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Lakshmana questioned the contribution of both Pratap Simha and Mr. Gowda to the development of Mysuru.
He said he would be visiting Mr. Simha’s office on Wednesday, September 6 and Mr. Gowda’s office on Thursday, September 7 with documentary evidence on Mr. Siddaramaiah’s contribution. He asked Mr. Simha and Mr. Gowda to be ready with the evidence necessary to prove their claims on their contribution to developing Mysuru.
He also questioned Mr. Simha’s claim on allocation of ₹319 crore by the Centre for expansion of Mysuru airport and accused the MP of “lying” to the people on various development issues.
While claiming that the Mysuru airport was inaugurated during the regime of Congress-led UPA, Mr. Lakshmana alleged that Mr. Simha’s assurances on a satellite station for the railways at Naganahalli on outskirts of Mysuru and four-lane highway from Mysuru to Kushalnagar have remained non-starters.
Mr. Lakshmana was responding to Mr. Simha’s outbursts against Mr. Siddaramaiah after he gave a call for the BJP MP’s defeat in the next Lok Sabha elections.
It is not just the Congress, people in BJP were also keen to see Mr. Simha’s back, he claimed.
Reacting to Mr. Gowda’s criticism of Mr. Siddaramaiah, Mr. Lakshmana sought to remind the JD(S) MLA representing Chamundeshwari that the drinking water schemes for several villages in the constituency were brought by Mr. Siddaramaiah.
Seeking to counter Mr. Gowda’s allegation against Mr. Siddaramaiah’s failure to open an engineering college, Mr. Lakshmana wondered why the Chamundeshwari MLA did not open one when he was the Minister for Higher Education during the 14-month coalition Government headed by H.D. Kumaraswamy .
