‘BJP taking credit, but we paid half’: Priyank Kharge on Bengaluru Metro inauguration

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge criticized the BJP for neglecting the state's financial role in the Bengaluru Metro project.

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday took aim at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing the Union government of conveniently overlooking the state's equal financial contribution to the Bengaluru Metro project.

Congress leader Priyank Kharge. (File)

Speaking to reporters, Kharge said, “Let the BJP take all the credit if they want, but they seem to forget that Karnataka has funded 50% of the project. The Metro isn’t solely a Central government achievement.”

Kharge, who is the Minister for IT/BT and Rural Development, pointed out that Karnataka's economic indicators — from its top rank in the IT sector to strong showings in GST collection, foreign direct investment (FDI), and GDP, speak for themselves. “Our purchasing power parity is also the highest. So, tomorrow if I do good work, will they attribute that too to the BJP? This logic doesn’t hold,” he said, questioning what he called the BJP’s habit of monopolising credit.

His comments come just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the long-awaited Yellow Line of Namma Metro on August 10.

Echoing similar sentiments, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had earlier underlined that both the Centre and the state share ownership of the project. “This is our Metro. The Prime Minister was invited by the Chief Minister and me to inaugurate the Yellow Line, and he has agreed. The state and Centre both have 50% stake in the project. This is not a one-sided initiative,” he said during a site inspection earlier this week.

Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru development portfolio, added that serving citizens should take precedence over political point-scoring. “What matters is that the public benefits from the project, not who gets to put their name on it.”

The new Yellow Line, a 19.15-km stretch featuring 16 stations, has been built at a cost of ₹7,610 crore. The inauguration ceremony will be held at the Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru, followed by a symbolic ride in the Metro train by the Prime Minister, Chief Minister, and local legislators. Shivakumar also said the state would use the opportunity to submit a formal request to the PM for funds required to acquire land for the proposed double-decker flyover project

(With agency inputs)