DKS to change stance on parks law? | Powertrip #163

Welcome to this week’s Powertrip, a political newsletter curated exclusively for subscribers of The News Minute and Newslaundry. This week’s edition is by Dhanya Rajendran, Pooja Prasanna, Shabbir Ahmed and Haritha John.In this week’s edition, in a major move, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is expected to reconsider the controversial law on parks, but not without taking aim at the BJP.In Tamil Nadu, friction has escalated between the ruling TVK and ally Congress over CM Vijay being projected as a possible Prime Ministerial candidate.In our next story, the CPI in Kerala has clarified its position after speculation about a possible political realignment after a seeming IUML outreach.Powertrip is a newsletter that senior political reporters of TNM put together every week. For those who can’t access the full newsletter, get a subscription and read every Tuesday..CM DKS to recalibrate law on parks, to turn heat on BJPIn a rare departure from his earlier position, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is expected to reconsider his government’s controversial law allowing up to 5% of the state’s parks to be used for public utility projects, but he is also getting ready to turn the issue on the BJP.The CM is expected to announce in the coming days that the government will re-evaluate the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Amendment Bill, 2026, which allows up to 5% of a government park or garden to be used for specified public utility and infrastructure projects.The law has come under intense scrutiny after the proposed Hebbal-Central Silk Board tunnel road emerged as a potential threat to Lalbagh. The project is expected to pass through the park, with the government indicating that around 6 acres could be required temporarily during construction and about 1 acre permanently.The legislation does not specifically allow the Lalbagh land to be taken for the tunnel. But citizen groups and environmentalists fear that the broader 5% provision could set a precedent for using protected green spaces for future infrastructure projects.That concern has fuelled a growing campaign in Bengaluru, with protesters at Lalbagh last Sunday carrying a simple message: “Not 5%. Not 1%. Not one inch of Lalbagh.” Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya was among those leading the protest.The backlash has also triggered concern within the government.According to a source familiar with the origins of the legislation, the idea came from a senior officer who suggested that instead of bringing a separate amendment every time park land was required for public infrastructure, the government should create a broader legal framework for such projects.DKS agreed in principle. The bill was drafted, passed by both Houses and is now awaiting the Governor’s assent.But the political fallout has prompted a rethink. At a recent meeting, concerns were raised that the provision could be misused by future governments and that the political blame could ultimately remain with the government that created the legal route.There is also concern that the controversy could erode the goodwill the government has built in Bengaluru’s urban constituencies.On Monday, Shivakumar is said to have told an international news channel that the government would reconsider the law. The interview is yet to be aired.He is also expected to make the announcement at a press conference in the coming days. But the message is unlikely to be one of retreat.Instead, DKS is expected to come armed with precedents showing that at least seven chief ministers before him have amended laws to allow portions of parks, including Cubbon Park, to be used for public infrastructure. High Court parking and Metro stations are among the projects likely to be cited.The chief minister is also expected to put the BJP on the spot by pointing to decisions taken during previous BJP governments. One example he is likely to raise is the allocation of land in a Sadashivanagar park to the RSS for a yoga centre.The political strategy is clear. Rework the law, blunt the momentum of the Lalbagh protests and shift the debate from whether the Congress government is threatening Bengaluru’s parks to whether the BJP has been consistent in defending them.TVK unhappy with CongressThe TVK leadership is displeased after Tourism Minister and Congress leader S Rajesh Kumar warned that the party’s two ministers in the Vijay-led government could walk out if TVK refuses to back Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate in 2029.Even though the Lok Sabha elections are three years away, the friction is fast escalating over the question of who should be projected as the Prime Ministerial candidate.The Congress was reacting to a series of statements from TVK leaders and ministers projecting Vijay as a potential national leader and, more specifically, as a possible Prime Minister.At least four TVK ministers, including Aadhav Arjuna, D Sarathkumar, A Srinath and K Jegadeeswari, have publicly projected Vijay as a potential Prime Minister. Sarathkumar even declared in the Assembly that Vijay “is the next Indian PM”.TNCC president Manickam Tagore dismissed the remarks by TVK ministers, saying they were still operating in “fan club mode”. Congress MP Karti Chidambaram also questioned the national ambitions of the TVK, pointing out that becoming Prime Minister requires the support of 272 MPs.The friction intensified after Tagore claimed that Congress support was crucial in enabling Vijay to form the government and that without the Congress, Union Home Minister Amit Shah could have “finished off” the TVK by helping Edappadi K Palaniswami become Chief Minister.Adding to this, the India Today-CVoter Mood of the Nation survey placed Vijay third among preferred choices for Prime Minister, with 9.2% support, behind Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. This was endorsed by TVK cadres on social media, leaving the Congress party clearly unhappy.A senior Congress leader told TNM that the party is unhappy with TVK ministers attempting to project Vijay as Prime Minister while disregarding the sentiments of an alliance partner.A senior TVK leader meanwhile told TNM that Congress was forgetting its position in the alliance. “Congress is a junior partner in Tamil Nadu and TVK has given them the recognition that no other Dravidian party has given them in the past 56 years. Two of their ministers are in the Cabinet because of TVK and the least that is expected is some gratitude,” the leader said.But the numbers make Congress relevant. TVK has 108 MLAs while Congress has five, and Congress’ post-poll support helped Vijay form the government.Sources say both sides are now holding talks to prevent the issue from escalating. Congress is also pushing for a formal coordination committee to discuss political and government matters.Sources also add that the Congress has conveyed to the TVK leadership that if TVK ministers continue to escalate the matter, the narrative is only going to help the BJP and DMK.For now, it looks like both sides are willing to strike a compromise and put an end to the rhetoric that could create cracks in the newly formed alliance.CPI not biting at IUML’s overturesThe IUML’s praise of the CPI and its criticism of the CPI(M) may have fuelled speculation about a possible realignment, but sources in the CPI say there is no question of the party leaving the LDF. Other than KPA Majeed’s article praising it, the CPI has received neither a formal nor informal invitation from the IUML or the UDF, sources said.Even if such an invitation comes, the CPI is unlikely to entertain it, as leaving the LDF would go against the political line adopted at its party congress. Sources said the CPI remains committed to the LDF and sees its recent public disagreements with the CPI(M) as a matter to be resolved within the alliance rather than a reason to walk away from it.The party also believes that its stand on the Deputy Leader of Opposition post is about maintaining its political dignity and ensuring that the relationship between the two Left parties remains one of equals. Sources said the CPI has no intention of allowing the current dispute to alter its larger political alignment.The IUML’s outreach, meanwhile, may have been welcomed as political solidarity, but sources say the CPI is not reading it as an invitation to switch fronts. They also point out that the Congress-led UDF currently has enough strength to be in power without depending on the IUML, further reducing the political significance of such speculation.For now, despite the increasingly sharp exchanges between the two Left allies, there is no discussion within the CPI about walking out of the LDF.Zero HourA political story of public importanceIs Census 2027 the first step to a National Register of Citizens? .PowermovesTop 5 political stories Close-range shots, multiple wounds: Post mortems puncture Karnataka forest ‘encounter’ claimVD Satheesan’s UDF government: An assessment of the first 100 daysThe high cost of being trans in India, and how a new law could add to it‘Hindutva does not envisage India without Muslims': RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at NY eventAdivasi farmers fear dependence on digitisation will affect access to AP govt schemes