Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar recalled how Prime Minister Narendra Modi swiped his smart card for him during a metro ride.
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid for his metro ticket by swiping his own smart card during a ride on Bengaluru's newly inaugurated Pink Line. According to the Times of India, Shivakumar said he did not have money with him at the time and asked the Prime Minister to buy his ticket.
The Prime Minister inaugurated the new metro corridor on November 13. He travelled on the line with Shivakumar, Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, and BJP MP Tejasvi Surya. Shivakumar's journey on the line was from Kengeri to the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, according to a BMRCL release.
Shivakumar stated that political differences should not affect cooperation on development projects. He said that politics should be restricted to fighting elections and that people must work together in the interest of the nation.
The Chief Minister also noted that Karnataka is the country's second-highest taxpayer and second-highest GST contributor. He said the state produces 1.5 lakh engineers and 13,940 doctors every year for the country.
Regarding the expansion of the metro network, Shivakumar said the target is to reach a total network length of 500 km by 2028. He requested the Centre to adhere to the agreed 50:50 cost-sharing arrangement and expedite approvals.
