Bengaluru erupted in political heat on Thursday as Karnataka BJP launched a scathing attack on the ruling Congress government. Opposition Leader R. Ashok accused the Siddaramaiah administration of crippling departments with inadequate funding since taking power.
Speaking to media in Bengaluru, Ashok highlighted the ongoing protests by transport department employees and the city’s mounting garbage management woes. He charged the government with financial mismanagement and administrative failures that have pushed public services to the brink.
“No department has received sufficient funds since Congress came to power,” Ashok declared. He specifically targeted Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy for delaying transport workers’ demands indefinitely.
RTC employees are on strike demanding 38 months of pending payments. “The government treasury is empty,” Ashok said. “These legitimate demands should have been settled long ago. This delay exposes the government’s incompetence.”
Ashok argued that if funds were available, the government could have cleared dues in installments or a lump sum. Instead, he alleged, action only followed protest announcements, with officials now offering just 26 months’ payments—a proposal rejected by workers.
Countering Transport Minister Reddy’s claims that the previous BJP government left unpaid dues, Ashok challenged him to disclose 2018 inheritances publicly. Referencing his own tenure as transport minister from 2009-2013, Ashok demanded transparency on any unresolved liabilities from that period.
The critique extended beyond transport. Ashok accused the Congress regime of turning a profit-making transport corporation into a loss-making entity. While acknowledging COVID-19 impacts worldwide, he slammed the government for using it as an ongoing excuse.
Contractor unions are gearing up for strikes over delayed payments, and excise contractors plan protests. “The government will pay the price for three years of mistakes,” Ashok warned, urging immediate fulfillment of RTC workers’ demands.
As Bengaluru grapples with waste crises and service disruptions, the BJP’s offensive signals escalating political battles ahead of potential elections.