Bengaluru: A political dispute has erupted between the Congress and the BJP ahead of the November 13 inauguration of a key stretch of Bengaluru Metro, with both parties presenting competing calculations of how much the Karnataka government and the Centre are contributing to the city’s expanding public transport network.

The inauguration is expected to bring Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar together on the same dais. However, the event has been preceded by a war of words over the financial responsibility for Namma Metro, with the Congress government maintaining that Karnataka is bearing most of the expenditure and the BJP challenging the way the figures have been calculated.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has said the state’s contribution extends well beyond its direct share of construction costs. BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, meanwhile, has accused the Congress government of using what he described as misleading accounting practices to exaggerate Karnataka’s financial contribution.

Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has supported the state government’s position, presenting figures covering several phases of the Metro project. He has also alleged that his speaking slot was removed from the final programme for the November 13 inauguration.

Congress says Karnataka bears 84% of Metro expenditure

Shivakumar has argued that Karnataka’s financial contribution should not be assessed only through the direct construction expenditure recorded in the project accounts. According to him, the state also bears costs associated with land acquisition, rehabilitation, state taxes, interest during construction, loan repayment and the operation and maintenance of Metro services.

He said Karnataka was also shouldering additional financial pressure arising from project delays while continuing to support the construction of new lines and the expansion of the network.

“We continue to shoulder the responsibility of building and successfully running Bengaluru’s Metro network,” Shivakumar said.

The Deputy Chief Minister’s argument is that the state’s overall financial commitment is substantially higher than the amount reflected in a narrow assessment of construction funding. Land acquisition and rehabilitation, in particular, form part of the broader expenditure required to develop large urban infrastructure projects.

The Congress government has also pointed to the state’s continuing responsibility for running and maintaining the Metro network after the completion of construction.

Krishna Byre Gowda presents phase-wise funding figures

Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda backed the Deputy Chief Minister’s claims by presenting figures covering Metro Phases 1, 2, 2A and 2B, along with the estimated expenditure for Phase 3.

According to Gowda, the combined project outlay stood at Rs 77,891 crore. Of this amount, Karnataka was bearing Rs 65,291 crore, while the Centre’s contribution was Rs 12,600 crore.

The figures put the state’s share at approximately 84 per cent and the Centre’s contribution at around 16 per cent.

“The State is effectively investing nearly five rupees for every rupee contributed by the Centre,” Gowda said.

He argued that the financial burden on Karnataka was considerably different from the 50:50 funding arrangement commonly associated with Metro projects.

The state government’s calculation includes several categories of expenditure beyond direct equity contributions. These include land acquisition, rehabilitation, taxes and other costs associated with implementing and operating the network.

The Congress leaders have used these figures to argue that Karnataka is making a much larger financial commitment to Bengaluru’s Metro expansion than the Centre’s contribution alone would suggest.

Tejasvi Surya challenges the Congress government’s calculation

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya responded to the Congress government’s claims at a press conference, disputing the figures presented by Shivakumar and Gowda.

He accused the state government of misleading the public by including loans extended to Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) in Karnataka’s contribution.

Surya said the figures presented by the Congress included nearly Rs 29,000 crore in loans under the state’s contribution column. According to him, this approach distorted the actual funding structure of the project.

The BJP MP also pointed out that BMRCL operates as a 50:50 joint venture between the Centre and the Karnataka government. He said both governments had contributed Rs 9,164 crore each in equity.

Surya argued that international borrowings were an important source of funding for the Metro’s expansion and that the Centre provided sovereign guarantees to facilitate loans raised by BMRCL from foreign financial institutions and banks.

However, he stressed that the loans were extended to the Metro corporation and not directly to the Karnataka government. He maintained that BMRCL was responsible for repaying the borrowed amount.

“Who is responsible for repaying these loans? Is it the Karnataka government? No. The responsibility for repaying the loans lies with BMRCL itself,” Surya said.

He accused the Congress government of shifting approximately Rs 29,000 crore in loans from the Centre’s column to the state’s column in its presentation, thereby creating what he described as an inaccurate picture of the funding arrangement.

“The Chief Minister and ministers who have taken an oath in the name of the Constitution should not resort to such misleading and mischievous accounting practices,” he said.

BJP raises questions over project delays and fare increases

Surya also used the press conference to raise questions about other aspects of Bengaluru Metro’s expansion and administration.

He referred to delays involving the proposed Red Line project and questioned the escalation in Metro construction costs. The BJP MP also brought up the recurring controversy surrounding fare increases.

According to Surya, the state government takes credit when new Metro stretches are inaugurated but shifts responsibility to the Centre when passengers face fare revisions.

He said he wanted to clarify the respective responsibilities of the Union and state governments in the planning, financing and operation of the Metro network.

The dispute has therefore expanded beyond the headline figures presented by the two sides. At its centre is a disagreement over what should be counted as a government’s contribution: direct equity and construction funding, or the wider range of expenditure and financial obligations associated with land, taxes, rehabilitation, borrowing and operations.

The competing claims also underline the need to distinguish between money contributed directly by governments and loans raised by BMRCL. While the Congress is highlighting the state’s overall financial commitments, the BJP is questioning whether loans taken by the corporation can be counted as direct state expenditure.

Krishna Byre Gowda says his speech was removed from inauguration programme

The disagreement has also spilled over into preparations for the November 13 inauguration.

Krishna Byre Gowda alleged that his speaking slot had been removed from the final programme for the event, despite being included in an earlier draft schedule.

The minister shared images of the draft and revised programmes on X, claiming that his name had been struck off the final list. He said the updated programme, which he received the previous night, did not provide him an opportunity to address the gathering.

“The reward for asking for justice for Karnataka state—my speech was cut!” Gowda wrote.

He linked the alleged omission to the ongoing dispute over the Metro’s financial contributions, saying Karnataka was bearing most of the capital expenditure and was being penalised for demanding what it considered a fair share for the state.

However, Gowda said the alleged snub would not affect the government’s commitment to Bengaluru’s development.

“That’s all right, you can cut my speech. But you cannot stop us from working for Bengaluru’s development. We will work even harder,” he said.

The minister’s allegation has added another political dimension to an event that is expected to feature both the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister.

Metro funding dispute casts a shadow over inauguration

The November 13 inauguration is taking place against the backdrop of a broader disagreement over the financial structure of Namma Metro. The Congress government is emphasising Karnataka’s expenditure beyond direct construction funding, while the BJP is questioning the inclusion of BMRCL loans in the state’s contribution.

The figures presented by the two sides are based on different approaches to calculating financial responsibility. A detailed assessment would require examining the components included in each calculation, the source of the loans, repayment obligations and the division of expenditure across the different Metro phases.

With the Prime Minister and Chief Minister expected to share the inauguration platform, the funding controversy has become a prominent political issue ahead of the event. The dispute over Gowda’s speaking slot has further intensified the disagreement between the two parties.

For Bengaluru commuters, however, the central concern remains the timely completion of Metro projects, reliable services and the expansion of public transport to meet the city’s growing travel needs.