Leader of Opposition R Ashoka accused the Congress government of favouring corporate interests while criticising Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s stand against alleged crony capitalism.
“Rahul Gandhi travels across India lecturing the nation on ‘crony capitalism’, while his own party leaders in Karnataka are rolling out a red carpet worth Rs 22,000 crore at the expense of ordinary citizens,” Ashoka said in a post on X.
He said the BJP would not allow Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to “mortgage Bengaluru’s future and burden taxpayers for the next four decades”.
Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan alleged that the bid submitted by Adani Group was 96% higher than the estimated project cost. He claimed that citizens could end up paying tolls for up to 50 years, while the project would also receive Rs 7,079 crore in public funding and commercial development rights over five prime land parcels.
“Who really benefits — Bengaluru or Adani?” Mohan asked.
Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL) has emerged as the lowest bidder for the proposed 17-km tunnel road connecting Hebbal and Silk Board Junction under a public-private partnership (PPP) model. The bid is awaiting Cabinet approval.Ashoka said the negotiated bid value was nearly double the original project estimate and alleged that Bengalureans would be required to pay tolls to a private concessionaire for up to 40 years because of the higher concession value being considered by the government.
He also questioned the decision to grant commercial development rights over five prime land parcels to the developer, saying the arrangement would help the company recover its investment.
“This tunnel road was the Chief Minister’s idea, and he has aggressively pushed it. Why is the government so eager to clear a bid that is 96% higher than the original benchmark?” Ashoka said.
The proposed tunnel road project has drawn criticism from the BJP, while political observers were expecting resistance from Rahul Gandhi given the history of his repeated attacks on the Gujarat-based conglomerate.
Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, has consistently maintained that the tunnel road connecting Hebbal and Silk Board Junction is the most viable solution to ease traffic congestion, arguing that large-scale road widening is no longer feasible within the city.
