Anusha Ravi By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: Thousands of commuters suffer in long traffic jams in Bengaluru every day but Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara believes he is well within his right to zip past common citizens.

Deeming ‘zero traffic’ his privilege, Parameshwara, who is also home minister, said he will continue to use the facility despite being fully aware of the inconvenience it causes to commuters in a city like Bengaluru where traffic jams are a serious concern.

When asked why traffic needs to be halted to allow his convoy to pass, an agitated Parameshwara said it was a privilege accorded to the Deputy Chief Minister. “If, according to you, I shouldn’t have it then should we have it removed?” he questioned a journalist who raised concerns about the VIP culture.

“They didn’t want it but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have it. This is my decision. I know it all,” he said when told that his predecessors in the home ministry, including Ramalinga Reddy, had said no to using zero-traffic facility while travelling within the city.When contacted, police refused to provide clarity on who is entitled to the privilege of ‘zero traffic’.

Parameshwara later took to Twitter to clarify his statement but the attempt only ended up with more criticism coming his way.

“I regret the inconvenience caused to common citizens due to zero traffic. However, managing time is crucial because of many government programmes and meetings. Governor, Chief Minister and Home Minister have the privilege of zero traffic. I have instructed the police to ensure the least traffic,” he tweeted.Springing to Parameshwara’s defence, the government said the DyCM’s post will be treated on par with the CM’s.

Govt comes to Parameshwara’s defence

In a clear attempt to justify Parameshwara’s sense of entitlement, the government on Wednesday, just hours after the controversy broke out, issued a circular saying the DyCM’s post will be treated on a par with the CM’s.

“The current government has a deputy chief minister. It has been reiterated that protocol mandated for the chief minister should be extended without changes to the deputy chief minister as well during all state-level and district-level visits,” the circular said.

Replies to Parameshwara’s tweet defending his zero traffic privilege, reflected the common man’s reaction to his sense of entitlement. “Why do you impose zero traffic every now and then and create trouble? If you are in a hurry, use the metro,” said one Twitter user. “Do manage time but also commute in the traffic if you want to understand traffic problems. How will you come up with solutions if you don’t understand the problem?” said another.

Parameshwara had earlier come under criticism after cameras caught his gunman cleaning his clothes. TNIE had earlier reported about a massive traffic pile-up caused on the elevated expressway to the airport in 2016 as vehicles were blocked when Parameshwara, then home minister in Siddaramaiah’s cabinet, was going to bid farewell to a relative.