BJP MP detained while protesting against proposed Namma Metro fare hike in Bengaluru

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Tejasvi Surya was detained and later released by police on February 9 near Jayanagar metro station in Bengaluru, where he attempted to stage another protest against the ruling Congress government in Karnataka for the proposed hike in Namma Metro fares.

The BJP MP was served a notice on February 8 for staging a protest at the metro station without prior notification to the police.

This comes amid the ongoing dispute between the Congress-led Karnataka government and the Centre, with each blaming the other for the proposed hike in Namma Metro fares.

In an X post, following his release, Tejasvi Surya slammed the Karnataka government, alleging ‘broken’ finances. He asked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to restore cash support to Bengaluru’s ‘Namma Metro’.

“Arresting me won’t silence me! Shameful that the Congress government arrested me for exposing the truth: That this is a ‘Khali Trunk’ Govt. That Karnataka’s finances are broken, and citizens are paying the price through rising Metro fares and soaring costs. No more excuses. The Chief Minister must present a White Paper in the Budget and answer one question: Why are the State’s finances weak, as you have admitted before FFC? Why is it becoming unaffordable in Karnataka? Why is the State increasing prices every day? Fix the finances, restore shadow cash support to Metro, and Metro fares will fall. Anything else is deception,” the BJP MP wrote.

Earlier on February 8, Tejasvi Surya said the Karnataka government repeatedly asked the Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) to increase metro fares. He further claimed that the State Government proposed increasing Namma Metro fares by 5%, stating that this would burden commuters and urging the State to conduct periodic fare revisions, as mandated by law.

Karnataka’s Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao slammed the BJP for politicising the issue, saying that CM Siddaramaiah has already written to the Centre, which has an equal stake in Bengaluru’s Namma Metro, not to increase the prices.

“Unnecessarily, the BJP people want to make politics out of everything. The metro is run by the State and Central governments, and it is a separate corporation. The CM has already written to the government of India not to increase the fare. Now, Tejasvi Surya is saying that they are not going to increase. So, let there be an official order, then we will see,” the Minister told reporters in Bengaluru.