Tejasvi Surya launches campaign seeking empowered Bengaluru development minister

Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya on Monday launched a campaign demanding that the Karnataka government appoint a fully empowered minister for Bengaluru's development, alleging that an internal tussle within the ruling dispensation has left the city without clear administrative accountability.

Surya, at a media conference, said it had been 15 days since DK Shivakumar assumed office as Chief Minister, but Bengaluru was yet to get a minister with complete authority over the city's development and infrastructure agencies.

He questioned the government's decision to retain the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) and Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) under the Chief Minister while placing the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and five proposed city corporations under the Bengaluru in-charge minister.


"The Chief Minister has retained control of BDA and BMRDA, the two key agencies responsible for planning and infrastructure development, while the Bengaluru minister has been given charge of entities that are either limited in scope or yet to become operational. Such an arrangement will make effective governance difficult," Surya said.

The BJP MP said the issue was not about any individual minister but about ensuring accountability and administrative clarity.

"Whether the Chief Minister appoints Ramalinga Reddy, Krishna Byre Gowda or anyone else is entirely his prerogative. Our concern is that Bengaluru should have an empowered minister whom citizens can hold accountable for the city's development," he said.

Surya said Bengaluru was facing multiple civic and infrastructure challenges, including flooding in several localities following recent rains, deteriorating road conditions and delays in major infrastructure projects.

He alleged that key Metro projects continued to face delays and said there was little clarity on timelines for completion of important corridors, including the Airport Metro line.

"Bengaluru cannot afford governance paralysis at a time when major infrastructure projects require close monitoring and timely execution," he said.

According to Surya, BDA and BMRDA play a critical role in planning and executing infrastructure projects within Bengaluru and its rapidly expanding peripheral areas. Dividing responsibilities between multiple authorities, he said, would weaken accountability and make it difficult for citizens to identify who is responsible for addressing civic issues.

Announcing the campaign, Surya said his office would remind the Chief Minister daily through social media until Bengaluru was assigned a fully empowered development minister with authority over all key agencies.

He urged the state government to resolve the issue at the earliest, saying Bengaluru's development should not be affected by administrative or political differences within the government.