Siddaramaiah meets PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi, several Union ministers

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and met several Union ministers, including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari. It also happened to be Siddaramaiah’s 76th birthday and he had a busy day meeting the prime minister and Union ministers besides Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. Siddaramaiah met Modi in the Parliament Complex and it was not known what was discussed in the meeting. The chief minister said it was just a courtesy call. This is his first meeting with the prime minister since becoming the chief minister of Karnataka in May. Later, he met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and requested him to hold an air show by the Indian Air Force in Mysuru during Dussehra celebrations from October 15-24. The chief minister said the IAF had conducted air shows at the Torch Light Parade Ground in Mysuru in 2017 and 2019. In his meeting with Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Siddaramaiah requested for the central government’s approval for nine proposals including measures to avoid accidents on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway.