BJP's "Begging Bowl" Jibe At Siddaramaiah After Wipro Declines Road Request

The BJP has hit out at the Congress government in Karnataka for seeking help from Wipro founder and chairman Azim Premji to fix Bengaluru's civic issues. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar are out with a begging bowl, seeking alms to cover the potholes on roads, the BJP has said, after Mr Premji refused to open his company's campus to outside traffic for use as a thoroughfare.

"Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar have both set out with a begging bowl. They need alms to cover the potholes. The situation has come to this. Instead of cooperating with the people, they are troubling them," said Chaluvadi Narayanaswamy, Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council.

Mr Premji had recently written to Siddaramaiah after the latter sought his cooperation in decongesting the city's roads. In his letter, he reaffirmed Wipro's commitment to partnering with the government on mobility challenges, but refused to allow outside vehicles within the company's Sarjapur campus.

The BJP said such a request to access a company's "private" property reflects an empty treasury, and that the party must thank Mr Premji for declining this request.

"This means that your treasury is empty and all the things you are saying are lies. He (Premji) has gracefully declined their request. We should thank Wipro. They have provided thousands of crores to supply nutritious food to school children across the state. If the government did that, how much money would they have stolen?" asked Mr Narayanaswamy.

IT capital Bengaluru is known for its traffic nightmares; adding to it is the poor condition of many stretches. Siddaramaiah had flagged the issue to Mr Premji, highlighting that the Outer Ring Road (ORR) corridor at Iblur junction sees severe traffic congestion during peak hours, and that it adversely impacts mobility, productivity, and the quality of urban life.

Read: Why Azim Premji Won't Open Wipro Road To Bengaluru Traffic. Read His Full Letter

Mr Premji acknowledged the gravity of the issue in his letter and appreciated the government's appeal for corporate support in tackling the traffic congestion on Bengaluru's Outer Ring Road. However, he pointed out that Wipro's Sarjapur campus has been designated a special economic zone (SEZ) and is bound by strict access control rules due to its global service commitments.

"With respect to the specific suggestion of allowing public vehicular movement through our Sarjapur campus, we apprehend significant legal, governance, and statutory challenges since it is an exclusive private property owned by a listed company not intended for public thoroughfare," read his letter.

"That apart, it will also be appreciated that our Sarjapur campus is a SEZ providing services to global customers, our contractual conditions mandate stringent, non-negotiable access control norms for governance and compliance. Moreover, public vehicular movement through private property would not be effective as a sustainable, long-term solution," the letter added.

Mr Premji also stressed the need for a scientific, expert-led study to develop long-term solutions to reduce traffic congestion along Bengaluru's Outer Ring Road (ORR). Since the ORR is a key export-oriented corridor, it would need a comprehensive and data-driven approach rather than piecemeal fixes, added the Wipro founder.