The inauguration of the Sigandur bridge in Karnataka on Monday became the latest flashpoint between the Congress government in the state and the BJP at the Centre, after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah skipped the event, citing protocol violations and the absence of a formal invitation.
The Kalasavalli Ambargondlu cable-stayed bridge, built across the Sharavathi river in Shivamogga district for ₹473 crore, is now the second-longest bridge of its kind in the country at 2.44 kilometres. The event went ahead without the participation of the chief minister, the public works minister, or local Congress legislators, prompting criticism from the ruling party in the state.
“None of us is participating. I was not invited. I spoke to Nitin Gadkari over the phone and told him, he said he would postpone. Then I wrote a letter to him. Probably BJP leaders might have put pressure, without telling me anything, they are doing it. I’m not going. I have a pre-scheduled event at Indi. It was scheduled a month ago, I’m going there,” Siddaramaiah said on Monday in response to a question.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said, “As a mark of protest, none of us are going, neither I nor the PWD minister nor the district in-charge minister or Sagara MLA.” Asked wouldn’t it lead to friction between centre and state, the CM said, “They (centre) should invite, right? Who has started the friction? They have started the friction. The protocol has to be followed. The event is being held in our state, and we are in a federal system.”
{{/usCountry}}Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said, “As a mark of protest, none of us are going, neither I nor the PWD minister nor the district in-charge minister or Sagara MLA.” Asked wouldn’t it lead to friction between centre and state, the CM said, “They (centre) should invite, right? Who has started the friction? They have started the friction. The protocol has to be followed. The event is being held in our state, and we are in a federal system.”
{{/usCountry}}The chief minister said he had earlier spoken to Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari and asked that the inauguration be postponed, given prior engagements in Vijayapura. “He said he would, but now, bowing to the pressure from local BJP leaders, they are going ahead with the event,” he said.
“I have not received any invitation. We always extend cooperation to railway projects they invite us for those. But here protocol has been violated. They are deliberately creating a rift between the central and state governments,” he said.
Congress leader and Shivamogga district in charge Madhu Bangarapp, also alleged that he had not received an invitation and accused the Road Transport Ministry of showing “disrespect” to the Chief Minister.
In response, the Centre released two letters from Gadkari’s office addressed to Siddaramaiah, dated July 11 and 12. While the first letter invited him to preside over the ceremony, the second suggested he could attend virtually if unable to be physically present.
Gadkari later posted on X, “An official invitation was duly extended to the chief minister of Karnataka, Shri Siddaramaiah Ji, on 11 July 202,5, inviting him to preside over the program. In light of any possible scheduling challenges, a subsequent letter was sent on 12 July requesting his virtual presence”
“The central government continues to uphold established protocols and has consistently appreciated the contributions and cooperation of the Government of Karnataka and the chief minister. It remains committed to cooperative federalism and close coordination with all states,” he added.
Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday responded to the union minister saying the ministry bypassed his office in finalising the date for the inauguration of the Kalasavalli–Ambargondlu Bridge in Shivamogga district. He said neither he nor his office was consulted before the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways finalised the programme and printed his name on the public invitation.
In a post on social media platform X, Siddaramaiah said, “Your response on the Shivamogga event is noted. However, I wish to place on record that neither I nor my office was consulted before your Ministry finalized the programme and publicly circulated the invitation with my name printed on it.”
The chief minister pointed out that the official invite was received only on July 11, just three days ahead of the event. His office, he said, responded on the same day, citing his prior commitment to a state-level inauguration of irrigation and development projects in Indi, Vijayapura, and requested that the event be rescheduled.
“A communication sent just three days in advance, after public invitations have been issued, cannot be construed as due consultation or coordination. True cooperative federalism demands meaningful engagement with State Governments before finalizing public programmes of such importance,” Siddaramaiah said in the post.