All four BJP MPs from B'luru join Lalbagh march

Bengaluru: All four BJP MPs from Bengaluru – union minister Shobha Karandlaje, L S Tejasvi Surya, P C Mohan and CN Manjunath – joined Sunday’s citizen-led march at Lalbagh against the state government’s proposed amendments to the parks legislation.Among the BJP MLAs present were M Satish Reddy, L A Ravi Subramanya and C K Ramamurthy.However, several prominent BJP leaders, including Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R Ashoka and former deputy chief minister C N Ashwath Narayan, were conspicuous by their absence.Citizens to petition GSI to pursue UNESCO heritage tag for LalbaghAshoka had, however, raised his voice against the tunnel road project in a demonstration held in Lalbagh a few months ago and against the diversion of park land in the recently-concluded assembly session.Karandlaje and Surya had earlier written to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, urging him to return the proposed Karnataka Park Amendments Bill that allows the government to sell or lease 5% of the total park space.“Parks are the lungs of our city, not spaces for commercial exploitation. Bengaluru’s precious green spaces must be protected and preserved for future generations. Development cannot come at the cost of our environment. Bengaluru cannot afford to lose even an inch of its parks and open spaces,” Karandlaje said, addressing the large gathering in Lalbagh.

Source: Deccan Herald