Minister Krishna Byre Gowda alleges he was removed as speaker from Metro inauguration event

Karnataka Minister for Greater Bengaluru Development Krishna Byre Gowda has alleged that his speaking slot was removed from the programme for the inauguration of Bengaluru Metro’s Pink Line. The allegation came a day after he questioned the Union government’s share in funding the city’s Metro network.

In a post on X on Thursday, November 12, Krishna said he was listed as a speaker in the draft schedule but was omitted when the programme was finalised on Wednesday night. He shared two versions of the schedule, showing his name in the draft but not in the revised version.

“The reward for asking for justice for Karnataka—my speech was cut! The Bengaluru Development Minister was not given a chance to speak at the Metro inauguration,” he wrote.

Krishna said Karnataka was bearing most of the capital expenditure on the Metro network and described the omission as punishment for demanding a fair share of central funding. He added that removing him as a speaker would not deter the state government from working for Bengaluru’s development.

The minister did not identify who was responsible for dropping his speech. Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, whose address remains on the programme, said he was unaware of the change. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Tejasvi suggested that the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) may have made the decision, citing the protocol followed for such events. He asked those seeking clarification to approach the BMRCL officials.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the 7.5-km elevated stretch of the Pink Line between Kalena Agrahara and Tavarekere on Friday, November 13. The section has been built at a cost of around Rs 3,470 crore.

Krishna’s allegation follows his demand on Wednesday that the Union government increase its contribution to Bengaluru’s Metro projects and expedite pending approvals. Presenting figures for Phases 1, 2, 2A and 2B, along with the estimated cost of Phase 3, he said the combined project outlay stood at Rs 77,891 crore.

Of this, Karnataka was contributing Rs 65,291 crore, or around 84%, while the Union government’s share was Rs 12,600 crore, approximately 16%. Krishna said the state was effectively spending nearly five rupees for every rupee contributed by the Union government, and that the financial burden was substantially different from the 50:50 funding arrangement often cited for Metro projects.

He also argued that the Union government’s contribution had declined across successive phases, despite Bengaluru being a major contributor to GST, income-tax revenues and foreign exchange earnings through its technology and services sectors. He said greater central funding was necessary to expand the city’s Metro network.

Krishna had said Karnataka would formally request Modi to increase the Union government’s share. He added that the state would continue expanding the network with its own resources if additional central funding was not provided.