Row Over Sigandur Bridge Inauguration Continues; Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Slams Centre

The opening of a bridge in Karnataka Monday created a divide between the ruling Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party that is in power at the centre, after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah objected to the lack of representatives from the state government at the inaguration ceremony. The BJP responded by sharing a letter dated July 12 - two days before the opening - formally inviting the Chief Minister. 

The Kalasavalli-Ambargondlu, or the Sigandur bridge - India's second-longest cable-stayed bridge, 2.44km long and built at a cost of Rs 473 crore - in Shivamogga district is to be inaugurated later today, but the Chief Minister, his Public Works Minister, and local Congress MLAs will stay away.

"They should invite us right? Who created this centre-state tussle? They created it ... they should follow protocols. It's happening in our state," a peeved Siddaramaiah told reporters.