Congress ignored German Chancellor during Bengaluru visit to welcome Rahul: BJP

German Friedrich Merz’s visit to Bengaluru has turned out to be a fresh bone of contention between the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP in Karnataka, with the saffron party accusing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar of not receiving him during his visit to the city.

The saffron party alleged that Congress leaders instead chose to be in Mysuru to receive senior party leader Rahul Gandhi, who was transiting to neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

‘Misplaced priorities’

Accusing the Congress government of "misplaced priorities and missed opportunities," Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly R Ashoka said welcoming the head of government from one of the world’s strongest economies had been relegated to the back seat, while "political loyalty and high command pleasing" were given precedence over Karnataka’s global standing.

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Merz, on the second day of his two-day official visit to India, arrived in Bengaluru and visited the Bosch campus at Adugodi.

He also visited the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE) at the Indian Institute of Science before departing from the city, official sources said.

R Ashoka slams CM

In a post on 'X' on Tuesday (January 13) Ashoka said the German chancellor’s visit was of "immense diplomatic, economic and strategic significance" for Karnataka.

"Any other responsible chief minister would have personally ensured that such a visit was accorded the seriousness it deserved—as an opportunity for investment, industry, employment and long-term growth for Karnataka," he said.

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"But while the German chancellor landed in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar chose to be in Mysuru to receive Rahul Gandhi, who was merely transiting to Ooty (Gudalur in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu). Let that sink in," Ashoka added.

Calling it more than just "poor optics", the BJP leader said the episode reflected a "deep disregard for the state’s interests." "Karnataka deserves leadership that puts the state before the party, progress before power politics, and global opportunities before political appeasement," he said, adding that the Congress "had failed" the state.

State BJP's dig at Siddaramaiah

Lashing out at the Chief Minister and his deputy over the issue, the state BJP unit stated in a post on X that the Chief Minister’s chair was “being used merely to please the 'High Command' rather than to serve the people. Political loyalty has officially taken priority over Karnataka’s global standing.”

“Today, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited Bengaluru - a moment of immense strategic and economic significance for our state. A responsible CM and Dy CM would prioritize this golden opportunity for investment and jobs. Instead, CM @siddaramaiah and DCM @DKShivakumar rushed to Mysuru, simply because - in the CM's own words - "our proud leader Shri @RahulGandhi stopped in Mysuru" while "On his way to Tamil Nadu,” he added.

(With agency inputs)