Opposition BJP demands ₹1,000-cr relief for Bengaluru; says single spell of rain has dented city’s image at global level

Opposition BJP blames government for Bengaluru rain havoc, demands ₹1,000 crore relief, exposes Congress's "Brand Bengaluru."

Blaming the “irresponsibility” of the government as the main reason for rain-related havoc in Bengaluru, the Opposition BJP has expressed concern that a single spell of rain had dented the city’s image at a global level, and demanded immediate release of ₹1,000 crore for relief operations. 

In a release, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok said a single-day’s rainfall had exposed the true colours of the Congress government’s “Brand Bengaluru.”  

Referring to the State government getting ready to hold a massive convention in Hospet on Tuesday (May 20, 2025) to mark its second anniversary, he said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had been focusing on the proposed convention, instead of immediately rushing to rain-hit areas in Bengaluru. 

“I am getting frantic calls from various parts of the city since midnight seeking help. Many layouts are inundated, hundreds of vehicles have been swept away in floods, water has entered even an orphanage, people stayed awake all night. But authorities concerned are yet to make any food arrangements for them and the BBMP has not come forward to help,” he alleged. 

Launching an attack at Mr. Shivakumar, for blaming the previous government for the disaster, Mr. Ashok wondered if it were true, then what had the deputy chief minister done to improve the city’s infrastructure in the last two years. 

The government’s failure to learn from last year’s mistakes has led to this disaster. Cleaning of drains, stormwater channels, and rajakaluves should have been done in advance. If the debris arising out of ongoing white-topping and road repair works had been cleared, this situation could have been avoided, he argued. 

He pointed out that the deputy chief minister, who had visited trouble-prone areas like Sai Layout and Nandagokula Layout last year when they were flooded, had promised permanent solutions for them. However, those promises had remained only on paper as these layouts had been submerged again, he alleged.