BENGALURU: The political confrontation between Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy intensified on September 29, with the JD(S) leader levelling a series of allegations against the chief minister and his family over land transactions linked to the Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) and NICE project.
Addressing a press conference at a private hotel in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy released several documents which he claimed supported his allegations. He questioned the increase in the assets declared by Shivakumar over the years and alleged that changes in the official land-use purpose of properties had contributed to the increase. Kumaraswamy referred to records from 2003 to 2023 while making the claim.
Kumaraswamy also alleged that members of Shivakumar’s family had acquired land falling within the area covered by the NICE project. He released what he described as documents relating to land transactions and questioned the chief minister over the ownership and purchase of such properties.
According to Kumaraswamy, around 10 acres of land had been notified for a government project as early as 1997, but was subsequently involved in private transactions. He referred to a transaction dated November 3, 2004, involving D.K. Suresh and claimed that the land was government property or had been notified for a public project. He further alleged that another transaction involving Shivakumar’s daughter took place in 2026.
Kumaraswamy also alleged that more than 150 to 200 acres of land within the NICE project area had subsequently come under the control of persons connected to the chief minister’s family. He claimed some of these lands had earlier been acquired by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB). These allegations were made on the basis of documents produced at the press conference and would require verification from official land and registration records.
Responding to the alleged charge that he was attempting to blackmail Shivakumar, Kumaraswamy said he was raising questions about land transactions and demanded answers from the chief minister. He said the issue was not about political pressure but about the manner in which land notified or acquired for public projects had allegedly changed hands.
The Union minister also raised a separate issue concerning land belonging to the Siddaganga Mutt that was acquired for the BMIC project. Kumaraswamy claimed that seven acres belonging to the mutt had been taken for the project, while only about one acre was eventually required for the road. He alleged that representatives of the mutt had sought the return of the remaining land.
Kumaraswamy further claimed that Shivakumar had made remarks to the seer of the Siddaganga Mutt regarding the land issue. He released an audio recording which he described as a conversation involving the chief minister. The authenticity, context and contents of the recording would need to be independently verified.
The allegations come amid renewed political and legal scrutiny of the NICE/BMIC project. In July 2026, a Karnataka High Court division bench upheld the quashing of acquisition proceedings concerning several parcels of land connected to the project. The court noted prolonged delays in determining compensation and examined whether the implementation of the project had remained consistent with its original public purpose. It also referred to material concerning land utilisation and deviations from the project framework.
The court noted that the BMIC project, conceived under a 1997 Framework Agreement, envisaged an approximately 111-km expressway, a 41-km peripheral road, a 9.8-km link road and five townships. It also recorded that more than 20,000 acres had been notified for acquisition over the years. The judgment further noted that, according to a state affidavit, only about five kilometres of the proposed expressway had been constructed over 25-26 years.
The High Court also suggested an independent assessment and forensic audit of the project, while dismissing appeals filed by NICE and KIADB.
Against this backdrop, Kumaraswamy said he would continue to pursue the land-related issues and release further documents. The allegations made at the press conference remain claims by Kumaraswamy and are subject to verification, responses from Shivakumar and his family, and examination by the competent authorities.
