Aero India 2018 venue shift: Karnataka seeks answer from Sitharaman, BJP

The Karnataka government on Sunday expressed its displeasure after the Ministry of Defence shifted its 22nd 'Aero India' show from Bengaluru to Uttar Pradesh this year.

While seeking an answer from the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government over venue change, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said that Bengaluru is the proper place for the show as the state has all infrastructure in place.

"Our BJP friends in Karnataka must answer. We also requested the defence minister and told her that Bengaluru is the proper place for the Aero show event and we have all infrastructure in place as well. I don't know why the Centre took such a decision," Kumaraswamy told the reporters.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara also targeted the Government via his official Twitter handle. He wrote, "We have been India's defence hub since Independence, but under the NDA, we are constantly losing key defence projects and flagship programs."

He also urged Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman "to clarify her stand on the issue".

It is for the first time since its inception in 1996 that the Aero Show is being held out of its home venue in Bengaluru. The last Aero India show took place in Bengaluru in February 2017 in the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru.

As per media reports, the event is likely to be held in Uttar Pradesh's capital city Lucknow in November or December this year.