Karnataka Assembly Greater Bengaluru Governance
Karnataka Assembly on Monday passed the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill. The Bill was tabled by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who holds the Bengaluru development portfolio.
Shivakumar said, “We want the decentralization of power and administration. We are not destroying Bengaluru as some of the opposition members have stated. Instead, we are strengthening it. We want to make Bengaluru strong.”
He added that the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill has been brought to give Bengaluru a new direction.
The Bill also faced significant opposition from BJP in the Karnataka Assembly.
What is Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill?
Here are five key points about the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill:
Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill: How Did BJP React?
Disagreeing with DK Shivakumar’s statement, the Leader of the Opposition, R Ashoka, said this Bill is an insult to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who wanted to strengthen the local bodies.
R Ashoka alleged that the Congress is paving the way for other local bodies to raise a similar demand for dividing them into several divisions.
“Dividing Bengaluru will not help us,” Ashoka said.
Participating in the discussion, Yelahanka BJP MLA S R Vishwanath said, “When the Chief Commissioner has been running the BBMP for the past many years without an elected body, why do you want to divide? If you still want decentralization of BBMP’s administration then hold elections, get an elected body who will manage the city well.”
He also said that if the government was keen on forming Greater Bengaluru, it should be done after the delimitation of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies.
“We will support you in strengthening its administration but don’t divide Bengaluru,” Vishwanath said.