Bangalore: The brand Bangalore image he
built as Chief Minister of Karnataka has taken a severe
beating with infrastructural woes of the IT city following
neglect by successive governments that ruled after 2004 so
far, Minister for External Affairs S M Krishna alleged on Saturday.
Campaigning through the media for the March 28 election
to the Bruhut Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Krishna said
"during 1999-2004 the state had a responsive government that
addressed the problems of people of the city and its
infrastructure needs".
"That government had all the special qualities of
attracting investment both foreign and domestic and put the
Bangalore on global map," Krishna who headed the Congress
government between 1999-2004 said.
He alleged that successive governments that were in
office neglected the development -- pointing to the two
coalition governments and the present BJP ministry led by
Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa.
"It seems Bangalore city is under the grip of an eclipse.
Time has come for people of this city to emancipate it from
this eclipse by voting Congress," Krishna appealed to the
electorate.
He accused the Yeddyurappa government of "failure" in
utilising funds provided to the state under Jawaharlal Nehru
National Urban Renewal Mission.
Krishna said he was unable to undertake public campaign
as he had to leave for Nepal to attend the cremation of former
Nepal prime minister G P Koirala.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, March 21, 2010, 00:23