UP MP criticises Bengaluru on traffic mess, Dy CM Shivakumar hits back
Bengaluru: The issue of Bengaluru’s traffic woes has come to the forefront after Samajwadi Party (SP) MP from Uttar Pradesh, Rajeev Rai, criticised the city for having the worst traffic management system.
Responding to the SP leader’s remarks, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru Development Minister, said on Monday that he would meet Rai in Delhi and show him the traffic situation in Bengaluru there.
Replying to a query on SP MP Rai tagging his X post to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and calling Bengaluru’s traffic management the worst in the country, Shivakumar said, “Okay. Let me meet him in Delhi. You (the media) tell him. I will meet him in Delhi and show him what the traffic there is like. I will also tag the post.”
Rajeev Rai, MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Ghosi, SP’s National Secretary and spokesperson, and Chairman of the AVK Group of Institutions in Bengaluru, had posted a message on X on Sunday regarding the traffic congestion in Bengaluru.
The post went viral on Monday and triggered a debate on the city’s traffic management.
In his post on X, MP Rajeev Rai said: “CM of Karnataka, I am sorry but you have the worst traffic management and the most irresponsible, useless traffic police. They don’t even pick up phone calls. Here is the screenshot of my attempt to speak to them; none of them picked up my call. For the last one hour, we are stuck at the same place on Rajkumar Samadhi Road and are going to miss our flight. Tomorrow I have to attend the Parliament session. Not a single policeman is seen around.”
“These inefficient officers are enough to spoil the name and charm of this beautiful city. No doubt Bengaluru traffic has now earned the reputation of being the most notorious.”
Rai had also tagged the post to the Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh and the Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Karthik Reddy.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar earlier faced criticism after his remark that “even god can’t fix Bengaluru’s traffic problems” and sparked backlash from opposition leaders and citizens.
“I would like to say one thing to you and media people that within one year, two years, three years, even if God comes, nothing can be done to fix Bengaluru’s roads. We have to plan properly.”
The comment drew sharp responses from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with Union Minister Pralhad Joshi questioning the Congress-led state government’s track record since taking office.
“The BJP never said Bengaluru should be transformed overnight, but the state government should explain what has been done in the past 1.5 years,” Union Minister Joshi said.
Shivakumar also said that IT companies can’t blackmail the state government of moving out from the state over traffic woes and drew criticism over this remark.
