Shivakumar Recalls PM Modi Buying His Metro Ticket

'PM Modi bought my Metro ticket as I had no money': Shivakumar

Bengaluru, Nov 14

"I told him that I did not have money to buy a Metro ticket and asked him to buy my ticket as well. PM Modi paid for the tickets using his own card," Shivakumar said while responding to questions from the media.

Further asked about his close relationship and bonding with Prime Minister Modi and what they discussed while travelling together in a helicopter to Mysuru, Shivakumar said, "I cannot reveal everything that we discussed."

Responding to a question that he gets time with PM Modi, which even BJP leaders may not get, the Chief Minister said it was a matter of human relationships and mutual respect.

"Even our party leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge also treat me with love and respect. Not everyone has leadership qualities. I do not hesitate to speak to anyone. We should maintain good relations with everyone," he said.

On encouraging Bengaluru residents to use public transport instead of relying only on private vehicles, Shivakumar said Karnataka has the highest number of buses deployed for public transport in the country.

"Despite having limited road space, we have more buses. Along with buses, the Metro is also very important," he said.

The Chief Minister also said he has instructed Metro authorities to use granite and other stones available in Karnataka in Metro stations instead of sourcing them from outside the state.

"When high-quality stones are available in our own state, why should we bring them from elsewhere? Using local stone will support our industries and generate employment for local people, from cutting to processing," he said.

Shivakumar said he had told the Metro Managing Director not to hurt the state's stone industry by procuring materials from outside.

He said granite is available in several parts of the state, including Chamarajanagar, Tumakuru, Sira, Badami, Ilkal, Kanakapura and Magadi. Karnataka has a wide variety of stones, including Hassan Green, Tumakuru Barpari, Bengaluru Blue, Multi Colour, Jubrani, Kollegal Black and Ilkal Red, he added.

"I noticed this even while travelling on the Metro yesterday. Local granite has been used at some places. There is no difference in quality between stones brought from outside and those available in our state. Our stones are equally good, and using local resources will give a boost to industries in Karnataka," he said.

On the occasion of Children's Day, Shivakumar advised children to reduce their use of mobile phones and give greater priority to education.

"Use technology, including Google and ChatGPT, to obtain information, but do not waste time unnecessarily on mobile phones. Do not waste the valuable time meant for education at your age. Give priority to education and respect your parents and teachers," he said.

Asked about spending time with his grandson, Shivakumar said he had spent some time with him on Thursday night and would see him again on Friday.

On the development of government schools, the Chief Minister said he has appealed to private schools and educational institutions to adopt government schools and support their improvement.

He said he had also discussed the use of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds for government schools with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and requested suitable guidelines to facilitate such assistance.

"The government has decided to provide 7.5 per cent reservation to students who studied in government schools. Our objective is to improve the quality of government schools to the level of private schools," he said.

Clarifying concerns over private participation, Shivakumar said the ownership or control of government schools would not be handed over to private companies or schools.

"The schools will remain under the control of the government. We will only seek the necessary support from private institutions for their development," he said.

Reacting to allegations of phone tapping made by Rahul Gandhi against Prime Minister Modi, Shivakumar said he was still gathering information about the matter.

"I am collecting information. I will speak after getting complete details," he said.

— IANS