“Siddaramaiah slams Nitin Gadkari: ‘Why wasn’t I invited to the bridge inauguration?’”

The BJP-led Central Government and the Congress government in Karnataka are at odds again—this time over the inauguration of the Kalasavalli-Ambargondlu (Sigandur) bridge in Shivamogga district, India’s second-longest cable-stayed bridge.

The Rs 473 crore, 2.44-kilometer bridge was inaugurated on July 14 without any representative from the Karnataka government present. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accused the Centre of ignoring protocol by circulating invitations with his name without consulting him or his office.

He said he wasn’t invited properly and that after speaking with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari—who initially promised to postpone the event—the Centre went ahead with the inauguration under pressure from local BJP leaders. In protest, no officials from the Karnataka government, including key ministers and local legislators, attended the event.

Siddaramaiah also pointed out that he only received the official invitation three days before the ceremony, calling it too little notice. He stressed that true cooperative federalism means involving state governments early in such important events. He added that despite Karnataka’s significant contribution in funding and land, state representatives were completely left out.

Karnataka Congress leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Minister Madhu Bangarappa, stood by Siddaramaiah, criticizing the Centre for sidelining the state government. Shivakumar said the central government should have given advance notice and highlighted the state’s heavy investment in the project.

On the other side, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari defended the Centre’s actions, saying invitations were sent on time and all protocols were followed. BJP MP Tejasvi Surya echoed this, suggesting that Siddaramaiah’s decision not to attend reflected poorly on his commitment to Karnataka’s development.

What could have been a moment of cooperation instead exposed the political tensions between the Congress-led Karnataka government and the BJP-led Central Government.

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