1 week ago
Adani Courtesy Visit Sparks BJP Attack Over Bengaluru Tunnel Road
Gautam Adani met Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar in Bengaluru.
Shivakumar’s office said it was a friendly courtesy visit.
The meeting happened after Adani visited the Art of Living and before he returned to the airport.
Adani Enterprises is the lowest bidder for parts of a proposed tunnel road in Bengaluru.
The road would run from Hebbal to Silk Board and is planned to be 16.75 kilometres long.
The tender has not been officially completed.
BJP leaders think the meeting may be connected to the road project.
Shivakumar and his office have not said that the tunnel road was discussed.
The BJP also opposes the project and has challenged it in court.
Gautam Adani met Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar for about an hour on Sunday.
Shivakumar and his office described the meeting as a courtesy visit after Adani visited the Art of Living.
The BJP alleged the meeting was connected to Adani Enterprises’ bid for Bengaluru’s proposed 16.75-kilometre Hebbal-Silk Board tunnel road.
Adani Enterprises is the lowest bidder for two project packages, but the tender has not been officially finalised.
BJP leader R Ashoka accused Congress of having a double standard and said the party opposes Adani in Delhi but supports him in Karnataka.
- Who
- Gautam Adani and Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar; BJP leader R Ashoka criticised the meeting.
- What
- Adani and Shivakumar held discussions for about an hour in a meeting described by the chief minister’s office as a courtesy visit.
- Where
- Shivakumar’s residence in Sadashivanagar, Bengaluru, after Adani visited the Art of Living.
- When
- Sunday; the BJP criticism was reported on Monday.
- Why
- The stated reason was a courtesy visit, while the BJP alleged the meeting was linked to Adani Enterprises’ bid for the proposed tunnel road.
Karnataka Government Account
BJP Criticism
Purpose of the meeting
Karnataka Government Account
D K Shivakumar and the Chief Minister’s Office described Adani’s visit as a courtesy meeting after he became chief minister.
BJP Criticism
The BJP questioned the timing of the meeting because Adani Enterprises is the lowest bidder for parts of the proposed tunnel road.
Connection to the tunnel road
Karnataka Government Account
The tender has not been officially finalised, and it could not be established whether the tunnel road was discussed.
BJP Criticism
R Ashoka alleged that the meeting was linked to the project and would facilitate construction through or near Lalbagh.
Congress and Adani
Karnataka Government Account
The reported government explanation focused on the meeting being a courtesy visit and did not establish preferential treatment for Adani.
BJP Criticism
The BJP accused Congress of opposing Adani in Delhi while supporting him in Karnataka, describing the state government’s approach as a double standard.
Key facts
- Meeting duration
- About one hour
- Meeting description
- A courtesy visit, according to D K Shivakumar and his office
- Proposed project
- A 16.75-kilometre tunnel road from Hebbal to Silk Board
- Bid status
- Adani Enterprises is the lowest bidder for two project packages; the tender has not been officially finalised
- BJP allegation
- R Ashoka alleged the meeting was connected to the tunnel road project and accused Congress of double standards toward Adani
- Legal opposition
- BJP MP Tejasvi Surya has approached the Karnataka High Court against the tunnel road project
- Environmental claim
- R Ashoka said the project could affect Lalbagh and Sankey Tank
Quotes
R Ashoka
Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly
“The Congress government is giving away the city’s parks with a new law for diversion of five per cent of park land for private commercial purposes. This is to benefit Adani. Karnataka CM Shivakumar’s meeting with Adani is linked to this. It will facilitate construction of a tunnel road through the Lalbagh (a garden in Bengaluru)”
indianexpress.com
“Congress opposes Adani in Delhi while in Karnataka it is in his favour. Isn't this a double standard”
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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Karnataka Approves 5% Park Land Use Amid Tunnel Road Debate
