Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has dismissed the Opposition’s charge that the government’s proposal to divide the BBMP was only to postpone the civic polls, saying, “The Congress is never shy of facing people.”

“We are gearing up to go for the polls within the next three months as promised to the Supreme Court,” Siddaramaiah told reporters.

Dividing the BBMP was the election promise of the Congress. “Even the BJP had shared the same opinion before doing a somersault on the issue,” he said.

Siddaramaiah said the BJP-ruled civic administration had collapsed. “Financial statements of the civic agency were fudged. The BBMP even failed to clear garbage from the city.”

Referring to the Opposition BJP and JD(S) criticism of the demolition drive in Bengaluru, he said they had earlier blamed the state government for keeping mum on the issue.

“The House committee on lake encroachment was formed on the insistence of BJP and JD(S) leaders.”

The AT Ramaswamy Committee and the Balasubramanian Committee on land encroachments were constituted during the tenure of the BJP and JD(S) coalition. “The demolition drive was undertaken thanks to the reports of these committees and the pressure mounted by the Opposition parties to comply with the court orders,” he said.

Reiterating that the state government is evolving a strategy to protect those affected by the demolition drive, he said there is no question of sparing those who are influential.

He said ever since the Congress came back to power, over 4,050 acres of land in and around Bengaluru had been reclaimed.