“Give me CM’s chamber in Vidhana Soudha on rent”

Bengaluru real estate businessman writes to Speaker

Bengaluru: With most of the Karnataka Ministers and MLAs spending their time in resorts since the last one month fearing threat of being poached by rival parties, a businessman in Bengaluru has come up with a strange request to the Assembly Speaker. He has urged Speaker Ramesh Kumar to let him rent a room in Vidhana Soudha, preferably the Chief Minister’s chamber.

Thirty-eight-year-old B.S. Gowda, who runs a small real estate business in Sheshadripuram, has written to the Speaker stating that he has noticed that for the past many days, CM H.D. Kumaraswamy, Opposition party leader B.S. Yeddyurappa and other Ministers’ chambers have been locked.

“I am in need of a room. It would be great if you (Speaker) can allot a room that belongs to these elected representatives, which are otherwise left unused. I am ready to pay rent and advance deposit. The same can be used for farmers’ loan waiver,” he stated in his letter and has asked the CM’s chamber in particular.

Gowda told reporters that he visits Vidhana Soudha every week. “I have noticed that these rooms are locked. We vote for these people so that they can do pro-public work. But they seem to be busy with non-public work. It looks like these leaders do not need any rooms. Instead, if they rent out their rooms, they will generate revenue that can be used for farm loans,” he said.

Gowda is ready to pay Rs. 10,000 for the CM’s room and Rs. 5,000 for the chambers of other Ministers. The Speaker was unavailable for comment.