Kumaraswamy targets Shivakumar over NICE Road land, ₹2,000 crore Shobha complex
Synopsis
Kumaraswamy's latest volley at Shivakumar zeroes in on a specific asset — a Shobha apartment complex reportedly worth ₹2,000 crore near the NICE Road toll at Hosakerehalli — alleging the Karnataka CM and his family leveraged the infrastructure corridor's land acquisition process for private gain while ordinary landowners and even Siddaganga Mutt were denied NOCs.
Key Takeaways
Kumaraswamy on 3 October 2026 alleged that CM D.K.
Shivakumar and his family benefited from land transactions near the NICE Road toll plaza at Hosakerehalli, Bengaluru .
Kumaraswamy claimed a Shobha apartment complex on the land represents property worth approximately ₹2,000 crore .
He alleged the family purchased 200–300 acres around the NICE corridor, even after parts of the land had reportedly been notified for a government project.
Kumaraswamy alleged NICE denied NOCs to ordinary landowners and even Siddaganga Mutt , while the CM's family was allegedly able to proceed with purchases.
CM Shivakumar has denied all wrongdoing, stating his assets were legally acquired and disclosed to the Income Tax Department .
Kumaraswamy had on Friday also alleged Shivakumar was attempting to take over the NICE project in collusion with Hyderabad-based businessman Mahesh Reddy .
Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Saturday, 3 October 2026, levelled fresh allegations against Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, questioning the ownership of land and the construction of a Shobha apartment complex near the NICE Road toll plaza at Hosakerehalli in Bengaluru. Kumaraswamy claimed the Chief Minister, his family, and his brother D.K. Suresh had benefited from land transactions in the area, and alleged the development had created property worth approximately ₹2,000 crore.
The Allegations on X
Taking to social media platform X, Kumaraswamy posed a series of pointed questions about the ownership structure of the Shobha apartment complex near the Hosakerehalli toll. 'Who owns the Shobha apartment near the Hosakerehalli toll? What connection does it have with the family of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and his brother D.K. Suresh?' he asked. He also sought to establish the roles of three individuals — named Amasegowda, Bhagyalakshmi, and Kempegowda — in the land transactions connected to the site.
Kumaraswamy alleged that the Chief Minister and his mother had purchased the land even after it had reportedly been notified for a government project. 'How was this land purchased in the name of the Chief Minister and his mother? How was it possible to purchase land that had once been notified for a government project? How was the NOC obtained?' he asked.
NOC Access and Alleged Selective Treatment
A central strand of Kumaraswamy's charge concerns the process by which No Objection Certificates (NOCs) were issued by the NICE (Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise) company. He alleged that NICE had refused to grant NOCs to ordinary landowners whose plots were acquired in the project's vicinity, and had even denied one to Siddaganga Mutt. Yet, he claimed, the Chief Minister's family was able to purchase 200–300 acres of land in the same corridor. 'On one hand, the NICE contractor has not given NOCs to poor people for the acquired land around the project. It has even denied an NOC to Siddaganga Mutt. But how did the Chief Minister and his family manage to purchase 200–300 acres of land around this road?' Kumaraswamy asked.
He called for a formal examination of the land transactions and the circumstances under which NOCs were issued, alleging that the acquisitions were made through unfair means.
The NICE Project and Earlier Allegations
The NICE project is a major infrastructure corridor conceived to connect Bengaluru and Mysuru, involving the acquisition of large tracts of agricultural and other land from several villages across Karnataka. Kumaraswamy's latest broadside is part of a sustained line of attack on the project's land acquisition record. He had previously alleged large-scale irregularities and questioned land purchases by D.K. Suresh despite portions of the land having been notified for the project. On Friday, he had separately accused Shivakumar of attempting to take over the NICE project in alleged collusion with Hyderabad-based businessman Mahesh Reddy, who he said had joined hands with the Chief Minister to exploit the land acquired under the corridor.
Shivakumar's Denial
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has denied any wrongdoing in relation to his assets and land holdings. He has maintained that his assets were acquired legally and disclosed to the Income Tax Department. Shivakumar has also rejected allegations concerning an alleged investment in Shobha Developers, arguing that increases in property value do not by themselves establish wrongdoing.
What Comes Next
The exchange marks another escalation in the political battle between Kumaraswamy's Janata Dal (Secular) – BJP alliance and the Congress-led Karnataka government. With Kumaraswamy calling for a formal probe into NOC issuance and land transactions around the NICE corridor, pressure is likely to mount for an official response from the state government. Whether opposition demands translate into a judicial or legislative inquiry remains to be seen.
Point of View
A named toll plaza, a named sum of ₹2,000 crore, and a question about NOC parity that ordinary farmers and an institution like Siddaganga Mutt could validate independently. Shivakumar's defence that rising property values don't prove wrongdoing is legally correct but politically insufficient; the real exposure is in the NOC trail, not the asset declaration. If the records on when and how the CM's family obtained clearances are scrutinised, the narrative shifts from political mudslinging to an accountability audit of the NICE corridor's governance. That audit has not yet been called for by any judicial or statutory body — and until it is, both sides are playing to their galleries ahead of the next electoral cycle.
NationPress
3 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What has Kumaraswamy alleged against CM Shivakumar over the NICE Road?
Kumaraswamy has alleged that Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, his family, and his brother D.K. Suresh acquired 200–300 acres of land near the NICE Road corridor — land that had reportedly been notified for a government project — and that a resulting Shobha apartment complex near the Hosakerehalli toll plaza is worth approximately ₹2,000 crore. He also questioned how NOCs were obtained when NICE allegedly denied them to ordinary landowners and Siddaganga Mutt.
What is the NICE Road project at the centre of this controversy?
The NICE (Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise) project is a major infrastructure initiative designed to connect Bengaluru and Mysuru via a road corridor, involving the acquisition of large tracts of agricultural and other land from villages across Karnataka. Its land acquisition record has been a recurring subject of political controversy.
How has CM Shivakumar responded to the allegations?
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has denied all wrongdoing, stating his assets were acquired legally and disclosed to the Income Tax Department. He has also rejected allegations about an investment in Shobha Developers, arguing that property value appreciation alone does not constitute wrongdoing.
What is the significance of the NOC issue in Kumaraswamy's allegations?
Kumaraswamy has alleged that NICE denied No Objection Certificates to ordinary landowners and even to Siddaganga Mutt for land in the project's vicinity, while the Chief Minister's family allegedly succeeded in purchasing hundreds of acres in the same corridor. He has called for a formal investigation into the circumstances under which these NOCs were — or were not — issued.
Who is Mahesh Reddy and why is he mentioned in connection with NICE?
Mahesh Reddy is a Hyderabad-based businessman involved in real estate and other businesses. Kumaraswamy on Friday alleged that Reddy had joined hands with CM Shivakumar to take over the entire NICE project and exploit the land acquired for it, claims that have not been independently verified and which Shivakumar has not yet specifically addressed.
