The Opposition BJP and JD(S) have termed as “shameless” the Congress government’s action of celebrating its second anniversary, when the people of Bengaluru and several other areas are reeling under the effects of heavy rain and there are deaths reported.

“While people are dying and struggling to survive, Congress leaders are busy hosting the celebrations. Do they even have a conscience?” Union Minister and JD(S) State president H.D. Kumaraswamy said in a media release. He alleged that Bengaluru’s citizens are living in a “branded hell,” adding that the city is suffering while its leaders are obsessed with publicity campaigns.

Targeting Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, he remarked: “Rather than delivering empty speeches and slandering the Opposition, the Deputy Chief Minister should focus on real work.” 

Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashok maintained that the government would have cancelled the convention if it had any shame as it coincided with the rain havoc owing to which people are struggling and deaths have been reported. Blaming the government for rain-related deaths, he argued that the government did not have any moral right to hold the celebrations at this juncture. 

BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra observed that the Congress government, instead of carrying out necessary pre-monsoon works in Bengaluru, had indulged in celebrations in Hosapete. “Indulging in such celebrations while neglecting civic responsibilities is an unpardonable crime,” he said. 

He alleged that the Congress dispensation’s administration was incompetent and lacked dignity and accountability.