CM Siddaramaiah skips opening of Karnataka’s longest cable bridge after being invited ‘merely 3 days’ in advance

The row erupted a day ahead of the inauguration of the bridge, with Siddaramaiah saying that he was not informed about the event in advance–an allegation dismissed by Gadkari.

Siddaramaiah shared on X a letter sent to Gadkari. “I was not consulted before finalising the Shivamogga National Highway projects’ dedication & foundation ceremony on July 14th, despite my name being included. Due to prior commitments in Vijayapura, I have written to Shri Nitin Gadkari requesting the event be rescheduled,” he wrote.

I was not consulted before finalising the Shivamogga National Highway projects' dedication & foundation ceremony on July 14th, despite my name being included.

Due to prior commitments in Vijayapura, I have written to Shri @nitin_gadkari requesting the event be rescheduled. pic.twitter.com/mrHHsVS0ma

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) July 14, 2025

For his part, Gadkari wrote on X that an official invitation was extended to Siddaramaiah on July 11, inviting him to preside over the programme. “In light of any possible scheduling challenges, a subsequent letter was sent on 12th July, requesting his virtual presence. The Central Government continues to uphold established protocols and has consistently appreciated the contributions and cooperation of the Government of Karnataka and the Chief Minister. It remains committed to cooperative federalism and close coordination with all states,” he wrote.

In a major step towards boosting regional connectivity, the inauguration and foundation stone laying ceremony for multiple key infrastructure projects is being held today in Shivamogga, Karnataka.

An official invitation was duly extended to the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri… pic.twitter.com/yDPbRdsygd

— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) July 14, 2025

Responding to the X post, Siddaramaiah said that neither he nor his office was consulted before the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways finalised the programme and circulated the invitation with his name printed on it.

“In fact, the official invitation was received only on 11th July 2025, merely three days prior to the event. On the same day, my office responded, informing you of my prior commitment to a state-level inauguration of irrigation and development projects at Indi, Vijayapura, and requested that the event be rescheduled. A communication sent just three days in advance, after public invitations have been issued, cannot be construed as due consultation or coordination. True cooperative federalism demands meaningful engagement with State Governments before finalizing public programmes of such importance,” he said, adding that he hoped that future engagement will ensure proper consultation and coordination between the Centre and the states.

Your response on the Shivamogga event is noted. However, I wish to place on record that neither I nor my office was consulted before your Ministry finalized the programme and publicly circulated the invitation with my name printed on it.

In fact, the official invitation was… https://t.co/NSVo5hFCd3

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) July 14, 2025

No representative from the state government attended the inauguration of the bridge, where Union minister Pralhad Joshi and senior BJP leader and former chief minister B S Yediyurappa were among those present.

During the inauguration of the landmark bridge, Siddaramaiah, along with his Cabinet colleagues, participated in an event held at Vijayapura to mark 500 crore free bus tickets distributed under the state government’s Shakthi scheme for women and laid foundation stones for development projects.