Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday, 23 June questioned the purpose of holding discussions on the controversial Bidadi Township Project near Bengaluru without the participation of affected farmers and other stakeholders, pushing back against Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar's invitation for a closed-door meeting at Vidhana Soudha. Shivakumar, for his part, declined to respond to Kumaraswamy's demands and said he would brief the media at a later time.

Background: How the standoff escalated

The exchange follows a sequence of escalating public challenges. On Monday, 22 June, Kumaraswamy challenged Shivakumar to a public debate on the proposed Bidadi Township Project. Shivakumar accepted and invited Kumaraswamy to Vidhana Soudha on 26 June, asking him to arrive with a five-member team. Kumaraswamy countered by proposing that the meeting instead be held on 27 June in the project-affected region itself, with local residents and stakeholders present.

Farmers have reportedly been protesting against the Bidadi Township Project for nearly 450 days, according to Kumaraswamy, making this one of the more protracted land-dispute standoffs in recent Karnataka politics.

The consent dispute at the heart of the row

A central factual disagreement has emerged over farmer consent. The Karnataka state government has claimed that 80 per cent of farmers have agreed to the project. Kumaraswamy flatly disputed this, alleging that 80 to 90 per cent of farmers say they have not given their consent.

'The government claims that 80 per cent of the farmers have agreed to the project. However, 80 to 90 per cent of the farmers are saying they have not given their consent. There are several unanswered questions,' Kumaraswamy told reporters in Bengaluru.

This consent gap, if verified independently, would represent a significant procedural challenge to the project's land acquisition process.

Kumaraswamy's demands and letter to CM

Kumaraswamy wrote to Chief Minister Shivakumar formally requesting that affected farmers and stakeholders be included in any proposed discussion. He also questioned the choice of venue, arguing that holding the meeting at Vidhana Soudha — rather than in the project-affected area — signals a lack of genuine intent.

'The Chief Minister has invited me for a discussion and asked me to come with a team of five people. But I have only one team — the farmers,' he said.

On the question of his availability on 26 June, Kumaraswamy said he had prior commitments across multiple towns and villages throughout the day and had therefore requested a morning slot on 27 June instead.

'It appears that the invitation has been extended merely for the sake of it, to create the impression that a meeting has been offered. The real question is: what is there to discuss if the affected people are not present?' he said, accusing the Congress-led state government of pursuing its own interests over public welfare.

CM Shivakumar's muted response

When reporters sought Shivakumar's reaction to Kumaraswamy's letter and the request to reschedule to 27 June, the Chief Minister chose not to engage. 'Let us not discuss it now. I will brief the media later,' he said before leaving. The response leaves the date, venue, and composition of any proposed meeting unresolved.

What's next

The Bidadi Township Project dispute now hinges on whether the Karnataka government will agree to include affected farmers in the discussions — a concession that would mark a significant shift in the state's approach to the project. With Kumaraswamy having written formally to the Chief Minister, the political pressure is on Shivakumar to respond before the proposed meeting dates pass. The outcome will likely shape how both the ruling Congress and the opposition frame land acquisition politics ahead of future electoral cycles in Karnataka.