Bengaluru, Oct 31 : Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has refused to comment on the deadline set for filling potholes in Bengaluru, which will end on Friday midnight, saying that it is for Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, to answer.

CM Siddaramaiah made the statement at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Friday. When reporters asked him about the expiry of the pothole repair deadline, he replied, 'Please ask D.K. Shivakumar,' and walked away. The reaction by CM Siddaramaiah amid the infighting within the ruling Congress party has led to speculations and talks in state political corridors.

It can be noted that earlier, the Chief Minister had directed officials to fill all potholes in Bengaluru within a week, reiterating an earlier order that set October 31 as the deadline for completing road repairs within the city's corporation limits. The directive came after a fatal accident on October 24 that claimed the life of a 26-year-old banker -- the second pothole-related death in less than a month.

Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar had stated that over 10,000 potholes had been filled so far in Bengaluru. He also referred to an affidavit filed by the previous BJP government led by former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, which mentioned that the city had approximately 20,000 potholes.

Shivakumar further said that the authorities had given the public and traffic police an opportunity to identify and report additional potholes, claiming that the government was working transparently.

Captains of the IT industry in Bengaluru, including Biocon Chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and former Infosys Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Mohandas Pai, have criticised the Congress-led Karnataka government over the city's poor road infrastructure and expressed concern that industries were shifting to other states.

However, Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar maintained that IT companies cannot blackmail the government. Ministers M.B. Patil and Priyank Kharge also targeted Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, stating that she raises her voice only in Karnataka and that if she had made similar remarks in BJP-ruled states such as Uttar Pradesh or Maharashtra, she would have faced severe backlash.

/IANS