Look who's talking

There was a plan to distribute gold medallions to Bengaluru legislators to commemorate the diamond jubilee celebrations of the state secretariat, Vidhana Soudha. With heavy rains causing havoc in Bengaluru and other parts of the state, disrupting life and leading to a dozen deaths, people have begun questioning the logic behind spending Rs 55,000 on each gold medallion to legislators. While it is normally the opposition parties that are first to raise a voice, this time, a minister in Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s (pictured) cabinet, has questioned the move. 

M R Seetharam, minister for planning, programme monitoring and statistics, caused some embarrassment among his party colleagues when he said the money should be spent on development activities in the state instead. Given the protestations within and outside the ruling party, there is a likelihood that the plan would be shelved after all.