As Surjewala's Presence In Meeting Creates stir, Karnataka CM Says It Was Not Official

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday clarified that Congress national general secretary and state in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala had not "officiated" any meeting of the government and city civic body officials, dismissing the claims made by the opposition BJP and the JD(S).

Siddaramaiah's reaction came as the BJP has sought an appointment with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to complain against Surjewala allegedly "officiating" a meeting with the senior bureaucrats of the state government and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

"Surjewala did not officiate any meeting. He has only spoken to some MLAs. The Deputy Chief Minister (D K Shivakumar) was present there. It was a meeting which the DCM had attended," Siddaramaiah told reporters.

"You must understand that it is not an official meeting. The Bengaluru city MLAs were summoned for the Bengaluru civic body election where he (Surjewala) had also gone," the Chief Minister said.

The meeting was regarding issues prevailing in Bengaluru city. Contextually, there were discussions about the (civic body) elections, Siddaramaiah said. The DCM was going to inspect the Hebbal flyover in the city and Surjewala was also asked to attend it.

Meanwhile, a BJP delegation comprising Members of Parliament from the city and the former Deputy Chief Minister R Ashoka has sought an appointment with the Governor. The BJP on Tuesday questioned the presence of Surjewala at the meeting chaired by Shivakumar with officials of the state government and BBMP at a private hotel.

The opposition party shared a photograph of the meeting on its Twitter handle in which Surjewala is seen sitting next to Shivakumar where Karnataka government's Additional Chief Secretary Rakesh Singh, BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath, and other government officers were present. According to the BJP Karnataka unit, the meeting took place at a private five-star hotel.

"What is the secret of #ATMSarkara?' ATMSarkara's clandestine meeting at Shangri-La Hotel, Bengaluru? What has Congress state in-charge Randeep Surjewala to do with the senior BBMP officials, who have no official relationship with either the state government or BBMP? Is this an 85 per cent deal-fixing meeting? Please answer @Siddaramaiah Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and @DKShivakumar D K Shivakumar," the BJP tweeted.

Former chief minister and JD(S) second-in-command H D Kumaraswamy too raised the issue in his tweet seeking to know whether there is a Siddaramaiah government or "10 Janpath" government in the state.