Mohandas Pai urges DK Shivakumar to open Bengaluru's Vidhana Soudha gates to public after viral cycling photos

T.V. Mohandas Pai urges Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar to allow public access to Vidhana Soudha's grounds, emphasizing it belongs to citizens.

After photos of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar cycling through the scenic premises of Bengaluru’s Vidhana Soudha went viral on social media, several citizens—including prominent voices like former Infosys CFO T.V. Mohandas Pai—called on the government to open the iconic landmark’s lush grounds to the general public.

Karnataka deputy CM DK Shivakumar cycling through Vidhana Soudha.

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In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Pai urged the deputy CM to grant citizens access to the landscaped premises of the state’s legislative headquarters. “Minister @DKShivakumar, please allow citizens to come inside Vidhana Soudha grounds on holidays to enjoy the grandeur of the people’s palace. It is our palace and we are being kept out,” Pai wrote, adding that in the past, people could sit on the steps and walk freely within the premises.

 

Tagging Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the Speaker’s office, and others, Pai also said, “Children want to play around and walk on the grounds inside.”

Responding to a user who pointed out that guided tours of Vidhana Soudha are already open to the public on certain days, Pai asked, “Why pay? This was built with the taxes paid by citizens.”

Notably, the Karnataka government had previously announced limited public access to Vidhana Soudha under a structured tour programme. The initiative, developed by the Department of Tourism and Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC), in coordination with the Speaker’s Office, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR), and Vidhana Soudha Security Division, allows guided tours on Sundays and the second and fourth Saturdays of each month.

These tours run between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., and visitors are granted entry through Gate 3. The route includes seven designated points of interest spread across a 1.5-kilometre path. Entry is priced at ₹50 per person, while children under 16 can participate for free with mandatory registration.