'Who’s he to say no?' D K Shivakumar slams Tejasvi Surya for opposing tunnel road project

Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday challenged Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya to pass a law in Parliament banning tunnel roads across the country.

The Bengaluru Development Minister said the government was committed to expediting Namma Metro projects to support public transport users.

"Who is this Tejasvi Surya to say no to tunnel roads? Let his party’s MLAs first use the metro, autorickshaws, and public transport. Why are they using cars? He should understand there are more than 1.30 crore vehicles in Bengaluru. Can Surya tell them not to use their vehicles? Let him and his family members use the metro and government buses,” Shivakumar told reporters.

Responding to criticism over his “matrimonial” remark, the deputy chief minister said the reference to car ownership and marriage prospects was only a casual comment.

“We are the ones who brought the metro to this state. What did they do when they were in power? What did they bring from the Centre? How many pillars did they put up in Bengaluru? How much money did they bring for the project? The central government is providing only 11–12% of the funds for the metro. We are providing everything ourselves, including land compensation,” he said.

Shivakumar told reporters not to ask him further questions about Surya.

"He is a waste material, an empty trunk. If senior leaders of his party like Ashoka, Ashwath Narayan, Basavaraj Bommai or Jagadish Shettar speak, I will answer. Because they understand all this. Shettar tried to do BRTS (bus rapid transit system) in his town, but it did not work. Is there space for BRTS in Bengaluru?” he asked.