Bengaluru: Public works minister and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s elder sibling, H D Revanna, on Wednesday reached out to rebel legislators saying he never functioned as “Super CM”, interfering in functioning of other departments, and apologized to anyone whom he might have hurt over the last 14 months.
He told the media here: “You people started calling me Super CM. I never interfered in any government department... I will not react to charges that Revanna is responsible for them (rebels) to quit. I only say that I never had a hand in transfers in departments other than mine (PWD). I did not appoint principal secretaries to any department, so how can anyone blame me? I will retire from politics if the BBMP commissioner or an engineer says so (that Mr Revanna sought contracts fromthe city corporation). If I have hurt anyone, I will sincerely apologise to them.”
Refuting charges by housing minister M T B Nagaraj about meddling with transfers, Mr Revanna said “this government is a god-send opportunity, and I was given public works portfolio to deal with projects connected with roads. I have been doing the same during the last one year. The Outer Ring Road (ORR) and even the elevated corridor to the airport were planned during my earlier tenure as minister. It was in cold storage for the last ten years and I took it up again. The project, estimated at Rs 4000 crores earlier, has now escalated to Rs 17000 crores, owing to the delay.”
Mr Revanna said his sole mistake was helping an individual’s election to Rajya Sabha. “During our last term, in front of Godess Mahalakshmi, I promised one person and made him Rajya Sabha member. I feel that was a mistake and Godesss Mahalakshmi will take care of him,'' Revanna added without mentioning the name of BJP MP Rajeev Chandrashekar.
