Bengaluru: Retorting to the BJP’s ‘Bengaluru Rakshisi Padayatre’, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who was addressing a public rally after inaugurating several development works at K.R. Puram on Sunday, said, “Yes, Bengaluru needs to be saved, but from the BJP.”

Coming down heavily on the BJP, he blamed the party for the financial mess the city was in. “When they were in power in the State and in the BBMP council, they pledged public properties, borrowed over Rs. 3,500 crore and left us with over Rs. 3,000 crore pending bills. Since 2013, we have cleaned up the financial mess, got our properties released, repaid loans and cleared pending bills,” he said.

He also blamed the BJP for doing nothing to provide drinking water, and sewage and drainage network in the newly added 110 villages, a nagarapalike, and seven CMCs to Bengaluru.

Responding to the BJP’s charge of a breakdown of law and order in Bengaluru and the State, Mr. Siddaramaiah said the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) clearly showed Karnataka fared much better than several BJP-governed States in crime rate.