Bengaluru: Even as the city celebrated Deepavali, political sparks flew Tuesday when Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar sharply criticised Bengaluru’s BJP MPs, accusing them of ignoring the city’s development needs and remaining silent on Karnataka’s financial concerns in Parliament.

The remarks were made during the foundation-laying ceremony for white-topping works in Gandhinagar, with the CM and DCM emphasising the state government’s focus on infrastructure and civic projects.

CM accuses BJP MPs of neglecting Bengaluru

Siddaramaiah targeted the MPs representing the city, alleging that they have failed to raise issues in New Delhi about the state’s pending dues and essential projects.

“People chant ‘Modi, Modi’ and vote them to power, but none of these MPs speak up for Bengaluru or Karnataka. Has PC Mohan ever spoken about your problems? We have MP Tejasvi Surya — I call him Amavasya. We also have Shobha Karandlaje and Kumaraswamy, both ministers at the Centre, yet they have never demanded what rightfully belongs to the state,” Siddaramaiah said.

He urged voters to “punish” these MPs in the next elections and accused the Union government of discriminating against Karnataka, adding that the state had not received ₹11,495 crore under the 15th Finance Commission, or funds for the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project.

Shivakumar backs CM, cites city infrastructure gaps

Echoing the CM, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said the BJP MPs have “turned their backs” on Bengaluru’s urgent infrastructural needs.

“While our government is working to improve Bengaluru’s roads and civic amenities, the MPs have failed to bring in central funds or push for the city’s development in Parliament,” he said.

Shivakumar also criticised MPs opposing the proposed tunnel road project, calling their opposition “kaali dabba (empty) talk”, with no tangible contribution beyond social media commentary.

The DCM defended the state government’s ongoing infrastructure push, which includes tunnels, flyovers, and business corridors aimed at alleviating Bengaluru’s chronic traffic congestion.

GST criticism and allegations against BJP

Siddaramaiah also criticised the Union government’s GST policy, claiming Karnataka suffered a loss of around ₹15,000 crore due to recent rate rationalisation.

“The Modi government collected revenue for eight years, then reduced it, and we received nothing as compensation,” he said, rejecting BJP’s claims of presenting the cut as a “Diwali gift”.

The CM further alleged that BJP functionaries act at the behest of RSS leaders, saying:

“BJP is not aware of anything. Everything they say is what RSS asks them to say. If RSS asks them to say Rama, they say Rama; if it’s Krishna, they say Krishna.”

BJP response

In response, Bangalore Central MP PC Mohan dismissed the accusations as “unnecessary blame on the Centre”, stating that the Union government has already provided assistance for projects including suburban trains, Metro, and housing support.

“Today, Bengaluru’s biggest problem is infrastructure, and funding it is the responsibility of the state government. They should clearly specify what they requested and what has not been provided — only then can we address the issue appropriately,” he said.

MPs Tejasvi Surya and Shobha Karandlaje were unavailable for comment.

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