Bengaluru, Feb 5 Karnataka's Large and Medium Industries Minister M.B. Patil on Thursday praised the efforts of Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and H.D. Kumaraswamy for the Bengaluru-Pune high-speed rail corridor, but stated that the initiatives should not remain at the level of discussions alone and must be taken to their logical conclusion.
"Soon after the Union Budget was presented, I had highlighted the need for a high-speed rail corridor connecting Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai. I thank Union Ministers Prahlad Joshi and H.D. Kumaraswamy for taking up the issue with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. There is no politics involved in this. The initiative should not remain limited to discussions alone, but must be taken to its logical conclusion," Patil, who is also Infrastructure Development Minister, said.
Replying to questions from media persons, he said there must be an efficient and world-class connectivity system between Bengaluru, the country’s technology capital, and Mumbai, the financial capital. Such a project would bring significant benefits to parts of central and north Karnataka, as well as western Maharashtra, he added.
Noting that the Union Budget has announced seven high-speed rail corridors, including Bengaluru–Hyderabad and Bengaluru–Chennai, Patil said that while these are welcome, these two corridors will not bring substantial benefits to the state. If a Bengaluru–Pune–Mumbai corridor is implemented, it would benefit regions such as Tumakuru, Davanagere, Hubballi, Belagavi, Sangli, and Kolhapur, paving the way for economic and industrial growth.
"I had stated this on the day of the Budget itself. Now, the fact that both Union Ministers are working in this direction is a welcome development," he said.
"It is encouraging that Union Ministers Kumaraswamy and Joshi have paid attention to this issue. We should not politicise such matters. Letters have already been written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and V. Somanna regarding this project," he said.
Responding to another question, Minister Patil said the meeting of Lingayat MLAs belonging to the Congress, held four days ago, was not a show of strength. The meeting was convened by leaders Ashok Patil and B.R. Patil, and discussions were limited to issues concerning the welfare of the community.
"We hold such meetings from time to time. MLAs from other communities also meet similarly. However, portraying only our meeting as a display of Lingayat strength is not appropriate, Patil clarified.
"With the support of the Lingayat community, the Congress won 178 seats in 1989, achieving a historic victory. Even today, the Congress has 34 Lingayat MLAs. In the 2023 Assembly elections, our community voted for the Congress. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with seeking greater representation for MLAs from the community in the government. However, we will not encroach upon the share of any other community," he stated.
Patil said that the MGNREGA scheme, introduced by the earlier UPA government, was praised even by BJP leaders such as L.K. Advani, Nitin Gadkari, and Nirmala Sitharaman. However, the Narendra Modi-led government has weakened the scheme and renamed it as VB-G RAM G. BJP MPs themselves should raise their voice on this issue and safeguard their credibility, the Minister urged.
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