Bengaluru: Reacting to Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh’s remarks on the aerospace sector, BJP MLA Arvind Bellad emphasized Karnataka’s historic role as a hub for aerospace and defence industries. He noted that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was established even before India’s independence and stressed the need to retain such strategic industries in Karnataka.
“I have urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Industries Minister MB Patil to allocate land for defence-related industries, particularly in North Karnataka, to keep Karnataka competitive and attract more investment in the sector,” Bellad said.
On a separate issue, Bellad criticized the Congress-led state government for allegedly blaming the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the June 4 stampede outside Vidhana Soudha and Chinnaswamy Stadium. He said, “If that’s the case, CM Siddaramaiah should apologize to the Police Commissioner who was suspended. It was the Congress leadership that invited people to gather. Law and order is the government’s responsibility, not that of private entities.”
He accused the state government of deflecting responsibility and trying to scapegoat others instead of addressing administrative lapses.
