Tejasvi Surya dares DK Shivakumar for open debate on Bengaluru tunnel road project

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya challenges Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to a public debate over the controversial tunnel road project.

The political row over Bengaluru’s controversial tunnel road project has deepened, with BJP MP Tejasvi Surya publicly challenging Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to an open debate on the proposed infrastructure plan.

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya. (PTI Photo)

Responding to mounting criticism from the Congress, which accused him of spreading “misleading claims,” Surya threw down the gauntlet on social media, inviting Shivakumar to a public discussion. “If you truly welcome technical scrutiny and public debate on this tunnel road project, I propose an open discussion with Hon. DCM Sri @DKShivakumar who is spearheading this project. Let the time and place be of your choosing,” Surya posted on X, calling for a civil exchange on the merits and flaws of the proposal.

The Congress, in an earlier post, defended the tunnel road plan as a bold, transformative step for the city. "This isn’t about political credit. It’s about Brand Bengaluru,” the party said, urging collaboration between the state and central governments. The statement also welcomed audits, technical reviews, and public scrutiny — but cautioned against politicising infrastructure development. “Citizens deserve efficient execution, not polarised discourse.”

Tunnel road is for the elite people: Tejasvi Surya

Surya, who has been a vocal opponent of the tunnel project since its inception, has repeatedly dubbed it a “vanity scheme” that caters only to the wealthy residents of elite neighbourhoods such as Koramangala and Sadashivnagar. “It will benefit just 10% of Bengaluru’s car-owning elite while 90% of the city continues to suffer from inadequate public transport,” he claimed. He also raised serious concerns about the project’s massive cost, pegged at ₹18,500 crore for just 18 km, more than the cost of the Mumbai Coastal Road, the Atal Tunnel, or the Bengaluru–Mysuru Expressway. “Will they build it with golden bricks?” he asked in an earlier post.

The Karnataka Cabinet recently approved two tunnel corridors under a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) model. As per the plan, private firms will construct and operate the tunnels, collect tolls to recover investment, and hand them over to the government after 30 years.