BJP leaders carry out signature campaign, silent protest against Bengaluru tunnel road project
The BJP in Karnataka opposes Bengaluru's Tunnel Road project, calling it elitist and environmentally harmful, urging investment in public transport instead.
The political fight over Bengaluru’s controversial Tunnel Road project deepened on Sunday as the Karnataka BJP, led by Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka, launched a state-wide campaign denouncing the proposal as wasteful, elitist, and environmentally damaging.
Under the slogan “Save Lalbagh, Protect Bengaluru,” Ashoka addressed a large crowd gathered at Lalbagh Hill, turning the event into a show of strength against the Congress government’s infrastructure push. “As the opposition, we are not against development,” he said. “But this project is unscientific, unnecessary, and designed to serve a privileged few. It’s a VIP lane, not a public road.”
Ashoka accused the Congress government of turning the tunnel into a political cash machine. “This project is a fundraiser for elections in Bihar and Tamil Nadu,” he alleged, without offering evidence. “Instead of addressing Bengaluru’s traffic with practical solutions, they are chasing a project that helps no one but contractors and middlemen.”
He urged the government to redirect resources toward expanding the city’s Metro network and improving public transport. “Metro can carry 60,000 people at once, while the tunnel road will accommodate only 19,000 cars,” he said. “In cities with strong Metro systems, traffic automatically reduces. Bengaluru needs mass transit, not vanity tunnels.”
Sunday’s demonstration was among the largest the BJP has organised in recent months and, party leaders claimed, drew a bigger turnout than Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s “Walk with Bengaluru” rally earlier this year. The opposition also launched a signature campaign urging the government to scrap the tunnel project, with hundreds joining Ashoka in signing the petition after he inspected the Lalbagh premises.
The Tunnel Road, proposed to ease traffic congestion in the city, has been criticised by urban planners and opposition leaders alike for its scale, cost, and lack of transparency. Tenders were floated in July, though the BJP had initially remained silent. The issue gained traction after Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya began opposing the project, repeatedly clashing with Shivakumar. The dispute escalated last week when Shivakumar called Surya “childish” and “waste material,” prompting Ashoka to defend the MP and announce a silent protest at Lalbagh.
Ashoka alleged that the ₹16,000-crore tunnel project is fiscally irresponsible, pointing out that Bengaluru’s annual tax revenue stands at around ₹4,000 crore. “The government wants to borrow ₹8,000 crore to build this tunnel,” he said. “That’s twice what the city earns. Karnataka is already reeling from financial stress due to the Congress government’s guarantee schemes. This will bury the state deeper in debt.”
He also cited reports suggesting that the Bengaluru Smart City Limited had agreed to pledge all advertisement revenue to the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO) to secure loans. “They are mortgaging Bengaluru’s future for a commission,” he alleged.
Ashoka further criticised the proposed toll, which he said would cost commuters ₹600 per trip—amounting to nearly ₹20,000 a month for regular users. “At that rate, one could buy a luxury car or a small apartment on EMI,” he said. “Ninety percent of this city is middle class, and seventy percent of vehicles are two-wheelers. A car-only tunnel is absurd. It serves the elite, not the people.”
The BJP leader used the rally to attack the city’s civic performance, mocking the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for its failure to manage even basic infrastructure. “There are 25,000 potholes in the city—probably a world record. They can’t fix those, yet they want to build a tunnel,” he said. “The Ejipura flyover has taken ten years, and fifty other projects remain incomplete. How will they finish this one? Our generation won’t see it. Maybe our great-grandchildren will.”
In a sarcastic swipe, he added, “Why not build a tunnel to the moon instead? At least that would be a novelty.”
Ashoka also accused the government of eyeing public parks and lakes to save money on land acquisition. “They are targeting Sankey Tank, Lalbagh, and Krishna Rao Park because private land costs too much,” he said. “Lalbagh is a paradise of plants, and Sankey Tank is a public space. They cannot destroy these for a tunnel.”
He reminded the audience that the Congress itself had once opposed road widening near Sankey Tank. “The same party that protested then is now pushing for a tunnel there,” he said. He also pointed out that the project has yet to receive approval from over 120 departments, despite tenders already being issued.
Tejasvi Surya, who joined the campaign, called the project “scientifically unsound” and warned it could worsen congestion. “Even the Detailed Project Report predicts 22 new choke points where entry and exit ramps will be located,” he said. “There has been no public consultation, no environmental clearance, and no geological study. This is not how cities are planned.”
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, responding to the criticism, defended the project and accused the BJP of politicising every development initiative. “We have conducted all necessary studies,” he said. “I am not a fool to destroy Lalbagh. I know its history and what parts of the park are untouched. The BJP opposed the steel bridge during K.J. George’s time too. I am ready to form a committee under R. Ashoka to study and review the tunnel project.”
