Township row: Kumaraswamy rejects CM Shivakumar’s ‘just for show’ invite

2 min readBengaluruJun 23, 2026 07:49 PM IST

Union minister H D Kumaraswamy has declined Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s invitation to discuss the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township project, calling for talks to be held in Bidadi with affected farmers present (File photo).

Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H D Kumaraswamy Tuesday declined Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s invitation to hold a meeting at Vidhana Soudha to discuss the controversial Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT) project. Maintaining that he was unavailable on the proposed date of June 26, Kumaraswamy urged CM Shivakumar to advance the meeting by a day and shift the venue to Bidadi or Byramangala, so affected farmers could participate directly.

On Monday, Shivakumar wrote to Kumaraswamy, expressing his wish to discuss the mega project on June 26 at 11 am. He invited Kumaraswamy and a five-member delegation to his office for formal talks. Kumaraswamy responded late Monday evening, citing prior commitments for his inability to attend.

Speaking on Tuesday, Kumaraswamy questioned the invitation’s underlying motive, noting that he is actively supporting local farmers in mounting a legal battle against the proposed land acquisition. He cast doubt on whether Shivakumar had called him “just to show that talks were held and that they did not work out”.

“Taking a team of five people to the chief minister’s office is not necessary because this is a question of farmers who are losing their livelihood and land. Without the affected farmers present, what is left for us to discuss? I am ready to meet anytime, but not on June 26, and I do not want to go to Vidhana Soudha. We must discuss this in front of the people who are actually losing their land,” Kumaraswamy said.

When asked about the Union minister’s counter-proposal, CM Shivakumar said, “Let’s not talk about it now. I will inform you again about it later,” he told reporters.

The GBIT project, originally conceived as the Bidadi Integrated Township and recently rebranded as a Rs 20,000-crore, AI-powered mega-development, has met fierce resistance from local communities. A section of farmers has been staging sustained protests against the proposed acquisition of thousands of acres of private land cutting across several villages in the Bidadi region of Bengaluru South.