BENGALURU, 10 MARCH

Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, R Ashoka, on Monday accused the Congress government of trying to divide Bengaluru with the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, which proposes up to seven municipal corporations in the city, and cautioned about non-Kannadigas becoming Mayors.

Terming the bill as a "death knell" to the city that was founded by Kempegowda, a chieftain under the Vijayanagara empire, he said the Bill is against the 74th Amendment of the Constitution, as the power will be concentrated with the chief minister and not elected councils.

The Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024, was placed for the consideration of the Assembly by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who is also the Minister in-charge for Bengaluru development.

In July last year, the Bill was referred to a joint select committee. The committee tabled its report in the Assembly last week.

The Bill proposes restructuring the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) by splitting it into a maximum of seven city corporations in the Greater Bengaluru Area. It also provides for a constitution of a Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) for coordination and supervision and 30-month terms for the mayor and the deputy mayor.

The GBA would be headed by the chief minister as the ex-officio chairperson, while the minister in charge of development of Bengaluru would be the ex-officio vice-chairperson.

Pointing out that Shivakumar's father shares his name with the city's founder Kempegowda, Ashoka said, "Being the son of Kempegowda, he (Shivakumar) is dividing Bengaluru into pieces. This is so unfortunate."