Congress came under scathing attack by Pratap Simha, MP, who accused it of scuttling Greater Mysuru envisaged by the BJP and the JD(S).
Speaking to media persons here on Saturday, September 2, Mr. Simha said issue was to be tabled and discussed in the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) Council meeting on Thursday, before it could secure approval and forwarded to the Government.
But the MCC officials and staff were convened to Bengaluru by the Minister for Urban Development Byrathi Suresh the same day ostensibly for a discussion on civic issues and forced the cancellation of the MCC council meeting.
‘’Though a 7-day notice was given to the council members, the MCC Commissioner Ashaad-ur-Rahman Shariff has violated the law and worked as an agent for the Minister whose sole objective was to scuttle any discussion on Greater Mysuru,’’ said Pratap Simha.
MCC council meet
He said the agenda for the MCC council was to bring Yelwala village panchayat, Srirampura town panchayat, Siddalingapura, Rammanahalli, Kadakola, Hootagalli, Chamundi Hill, Bogadi and Alanahalli under MCC limits. Though these are on the outskirts of the city, they have acquired urban characteristics and are embedded to Mysuru and it was in the long-term interest of the city to bring them under MCC and declaring constituting Greater Mysuru. This would facilitate better planning and development but the Congress, in its wisdom, has scuttled the move and demonstrated its anti-development mindset, said Mr. Simha.
“The BJP has envisaged Greater Mysuru to ensure orderly development of Mysuru elaborate preparations and thought process had gone into it. But the Congress is against the development of Mysuru,’’ Mr. Simha added.
Incidentally, the tenure of the elected councillors ends in October this year and the Mayor Shivakumar will hold office till September 5 and hence, the issue cannot come before the council again and can be tabled only after the elections.
The MP questioned as to why the Congress was opposed to Greater Mysuru and said the party had no project to claim as its own. Be it the peripheral ring road, outer ring road, Jal Jeevan Mission, created liquid medical oxygen plant, new hostels etc. it was the contribution of the BJP, he added.
Mr. Simha also took potshots at the Congress for the kind of subjects they take up for discussions in the KDP meeting and said hours are spent on issues that are not of priority but nothing is discussed on issues germane to the city of Mysuru or its growth.
‘’The Congress want the Muslims to continue living in their ghettos, dalits in the slums while the party leaders live in upmarket areas like Sadashivanagar in Bengaluru. But they do not want Mysuru to grow and develop,’’ said Mr. Simha accusing the Congress of lacking a vision for the development of Mysuru.
