A fresh political confrontation unfolded in Bengaluru on Monday after Bharatiya Janata Party MP Tejasvi Surya was briefly detained by the police near the Jayanagar Metro station while protesting against the proposed increase in Namma Metro fares. The BJP leader was later released, but the incident has added fuel to the ongoing blame game between the Karnataka government and the Centre over public transport pricing.
According to officials, Surya attempted to hold a protest at the metro station despite being served a police notice a day earlier, warning him against demonstrating without prior permission. As he proceeded with the protest, police intervened and took him into custody for a short period before letting him go.
Soon after his release, the Bengaluru South MP launched a sharp attack on the Congress-led state government, accusing it of mismanaging Karnataka’s finances and passing the burden on to ordinary citizens. In a strongly worded message on social media, Surya said that detaining him would not stop him from questioning what he described as a financial crisis under the current administration.
He alleged that the state’s economic condition was deteriorating and claimed commuters were being forced to pay higher metro fares because of weak financial planning. Surya demanded that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah present a detailed white paper during the upcoming budget session, explaining why the state’s finances were under stress. He also urged the government to restore financial support to Namma Metro, arguing that fares would automatically come down if funding issues were addressed.
The BJP MP further claimed that the Karnataka government had repeatedly pushed the Fare Fixation Committee to revise metro fares upwards. He warned that even a small percentage hike would significantly impact daily commuters and called for a transparent, law-bound system of periodic fare reviews instead of sudden increases.
The Congress government, however, rejected these allegations. State Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao accused the BJP of turning a public utility issue into a political spectacle. He clarified that Namma Metro is jointly run by the state and central governments and operates as an independent corporation.
Rao stated that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had already written to the Union government, requesting that metro fares not be increased. He added that instead of protests, the BJP should wait for an official decision from the authorities involved.
