‘Childish and Waste Material’: DK Shivakumar-Tejasvi Surya war of words intensifies over tunnel road

Deputy CM DK Shivakumar’s sharp remarks against Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya deepen the political rift over the city’s controversial tunnel road project.

Bengaluru’s tunnel road debate has turned into a full-blown political brawl. On Thursday, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar launched a scathing attack on Bengaluru South BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, calling him “childish” and “a waste material.”

“He is childish and has no experience. He is a waste material. Out of respect for his position, I called him for a meeting, but now he is talking nonsense in public,” Shivakumar told reporters.

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His comments came days after Surya met him to discuss alternatives to the tunnel road project aimed at easing Bengaluru’s traffic congestion. Surya had recently criticised Shivakumar for saying that “people can’t be stopped from using cars” and for making comments about “parents not giving their daughters to boys without cars.” Taking a swipe at Shivakumar, Surya quipped that the state government seemed to be building the tunnel “to solve a social problem.”

Shivakumar hit back, calling Surya “immature” and accusing him of failing to bring any central funds for Bengaluru. “He hasn’t brought even ₹10 from the central government. When BJP was in power, what did they do for Bengaluru’s transport? The Centre gives only 10-12% of Namma Metro’s cost; the rest is borne by the state,” he said.

Without holding back, the DCM added, “Please don’t ask me about him, he is a waste material. His party leaders like R Ashoka, Ashwath Narayan, Bommai, and Shettar understand things better.”

Defending the tunnel road plan, Shivakumar claimed that Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had praised the state’s move to push the project and regularise B-khata properties. He dismissed Surya’s Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) proposal as impractical, saying, “Do we have that much space for BRTS? Does he even know the land acquisition cost? He doesn’t have a brain.”

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Taking another dig, he added, “Why is he travelling by car? Let him and his family use the Metro or government buses. Let BJP MLAs commute by autos and Metro if they want to set an example. We can’t stop everyone from using cars.”

Shivakumar made these remarks on the sidelines of a southern region urban development ministers’ meeting in Bengaluru, attended by delegates from Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Lakshadweep.

Surya’s team has said that the MP will respond to the Deputy CM’s comments on Friday, indicating that the verbal duel is far from over.