Kumaraswamy keeps empty chair for CM Shivakumar at Bidadi township debate
Synopsis
Kumaraswamy placed an empty chair labelled with CM Shivakumar's name on a public dais in Bidadi — a theatrical but calculated move after 480 days of farmer protests against the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township Project. With 75% of some villages' landowners reportedly accepting compensation and another faction demanding to be heard, the ground is far more fractured than either side admits.
Key Takeaways
Kumaraswamy placed an empty chair bearing CM D.K.
Shivakumar's name at a public meeting in Bhyramangala village, Bidadi on 27 June .
The standoff centres on the proposed Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township Project at Bidadi, near Bengaluru.
Farmers opposing the project have been protesting for over 460–480 days , according to Kumaraswamy.
Balakrishna alleged that around 75 per cent of landowners in pilot villages accepted land acquisition and compensation.
A faction of pro-project farmers also confronted opponents at the venue; security was tightened amid a volatile situation.
Chief Minister Shivakumar walked away from reporters in Bengaluru without commenting on the development.
Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy escalated his standoff with Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar over the proposed Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township Project at Bidadi on Saturday, 27 June, by placing an empty chair bearing the Chief Minister's name on the dais at a public meeting in Bhyramangala village near Bengaluru — a pointed invitation for an open debate before affected farmers and residents.
The Empty Chair Moment
Kumaraswamy had written two letters to Chief Minister Shivakumar seeking a public debate in the affected region. Shivakumar, in turn, had invited Kumaraswamy and five representatives to a meeting at Vidhana Soudha instead. When the Chief Minister did not appear at Bhyramangala, an empty chair labelled with his name was prominently placed beside Kumaraswamy's seat on the stage.
Addressing the gathering, Kumaraswamy alleged that Shivakumar lacked the will to face the public. 'I have come here with all the courage. The discussion should take place before the people. Why should I go elsewhere? Under no circumstances will the Chief Minister come here because he cannot face the people,' he said.
What Kumaraswamy Said
Kumaraswamy framed the debate as a matter of accountability to farmers who have been protesting against the township project for more than 460 days — and, by another count he cited, around 480 days. He clarified that his intent was not to force the Chief Minister onto the streets, but to hold dialogue before the farmers, women, and elders of the region.
'If the Chief Minister truly respects them and the people of the state, he should come here and hold a debate. Issuing statements against me from a distant place is not appropriate,' he added. He also drew a sharp contrast between Shivakumar attending a programme to plant 15 lakh saplings while the state government, he alleged, was preparing to cut nearly 10 lakh trees for the township project.
Congress Pushes Back
Senior Congress MLA H.C. Balakrishna, a close aide of Chief Minister Shivakumar, rejected the public debate format outright. 'Under no circumstances will Chief Minister Shivakumar attend such a discussion. He has never agreed to a public debate. Their intention is different. They want to create unrest and provoke violence in the region,' Balakrishna alleged.
He further argued that the venue was irrelevant to the substance of the issue, and accused Kumaraswamy of seeking to bring the Chief Minister into disrepute. Balakrishna also pushed back on the narrative that all farmers oppose the project, stating that when the final notification was issued for certain villages on a pilot basis, around 75 per cent of landowners came forward to accept land acquisition and compensation.
Divided Ground: Farmers for and Against
The situation at Bhyramangala was further complicated when a group of farmers who claimed to support the Bidadi Township Project confronted those opposing it. Raising slogans, they demanded that Kumaraswamy be brought before them so they could present their views directly. Security was tightened at the venue following the volatile situation.
When reporters approached Chief Minister Shivakumar in Bengaluru for his response, he refused to take questions and walked away. The standoff over the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township Project now extends well beyond a planning dispute, with the political theatre at Bhyramangala likely to intensify pressure on both sides ahead of further public mobilisation.
Point of View
But it lands because the underlying dispute is real: over 480 days of farmer agitation against a major land acquisition project is not a manufactured grievance. Kumaraswamy is leveraging his Union Minister status to apply state-level pressure on a Congress government, turning a planning row into a referendum on whose side the ruling party is on. The Congress counter — that 75% of pilot-village landowners accepted compensation — is a significant data point that has been largely drowned out by the optics of the empty chair. The deeper risk is that the genuine split among farmers, visible in the confrontation at Bhyramangala, gets weaponised before either side engages seriously with the project's merits.
NationPress
27 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township Project at Bidadi?
It is a proposed township development project near Bidadi on the outskirts of Bengaluru, backed by the Karnataka state government. The project has faced sustained farmer protests over land acquisition for more than 460 days, with opponents arguing it threatens ancestral agricultural lands.
Why did Kumaraswamy place an empty chair for CM Shivakumar?
Kumaraswamy placed an empty chair labelled with Chief Minister Shivakumar's name at a public meeting in Bhyramangala village on 27 June to highlight the CM's refusal to hold an open debate before affected farmers. He had written two letters inviting Shivakumar to debate the township project in the affected region; Shivakumar instead offered a meeting at Vidhana Soudha.
What was the Congress response to the empty-chair protest?
Senior Congress MLA H.C. Balakrishna, a close aide of Chief Minister Shivakumar, said the CM would not participate in a public debate under any circumstances. He alleged Kumaraswamy's intent was to create unrest and bring disrepute to the Chief Minister, and noted that around 75 per cent of landowners in pilot villages had accepted land acquisition and compensation.
Are all farmers in Bidadi opposed to the township project?
No. While a significant group has been protesting for over 460 days, a separate faction of farmers at the Bhyramangala meeting on 27 June claimed to support the project and demanded to present their views directly to Kumaraswamy. The Congress also cited 75 per cent landowner participation in pilot-village compensation proceedings.
What is the current status of the situation at Bidadi?
Security has been tightened at Bhyramangala village following a volatile confrontation between pro- and anti-project farmer groups on 27 June. Chief Minister Shivakumar declined to comment when approached by reporters in Bengaluru, and no date for any formal dialogue has been announced.
