"Potholes even on road to PM Modi's residence; Karnataka issue blown out of proportion," DK Shivakumar

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 23 (ANI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday said that even the road leading up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence in Delhi has potholes, the issue in his State is being blown out of proportion.
He said that every day, nearly 1,000 potholes are being filled across Bengaluru through coordinated efforts. His remarks came after some of the industrialists expressed concerns over the potholes in the city. Recently, Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy called Bengaluru "the city of potholes."
"Listening with Purpose. Acting with Impact. Every day, nearly 1,000 potholes are being filled across Bengaluru through coordinated efforts. Our workers and engineers are on the ground in all zones, ensuring both speed and quality in the repairs. This massive drive shows our government's commitment to solving long-pending civic issues," Shivakumar said in a post on X.
Shivakumar said that potholes are a problem across the country.
"I travelled around Delhi just a day ago. The media must review and report how many potholes are on Delhi's roads, including the road to the PM's residence. Potholes are a problem across the country. Only Karnataka's issues are being blown out of proportion," Shivakumar said while talking to reporters.
"I would like to tell everyone, including the big businesses in Bengaluru, that we are doing our job of filling potholes," he added.
He blamed the previous BJP government in the State for the pothole problem in Bengaluru.
"If the roads had been maintained well during the BJP's period, we would not have reached this stage. They did not bother to do anything to fix the potholes, but now they are raising this issue as the elections are approaching," he said.
Raising the pothole issue, Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy had said that Bengaluru has suffered a severe blow to its reputation.
"It is tragic that Bengaluru is now gaining infamy as the 'City of Potholes.' The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister are responsible for this disgrace. Today, Bengaluru and Karnataka are trapped in the hands of the incompetent and the corrupt," Kumaraswamy said in a post on X.
Reacting to this, Shivakumar said, "What is Kumaraswamy's contribution to Bengaluru as a Union minister? The UPA government had given a lot of funds to Bengaluru under the Jawaharlal urban renewal mission. He is the right-hand man of the PM. Why can't he get Rs 10000 crores for Bengaluru city? He had said that he would get approvals for the Mekedatu project in 5 minutes. What happened to it?" (ANI)