Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President B.Y. Vijayendra on Thursday, 12 November 2026, launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Ministers Krishna Byre Gowda and Priyank Kharge, accusing them of making 'disrespectful remarks' against Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his Friday visit to the state. Vijayendra made the remarks at a press conference held at the state BJP headquarters, Jagannath Bhavan, in Bengaluru, saying he was 'angry and disappointed' by the statements from the Congress leadership.

Row Over Metro Inauguration Speech

At the centre of the dispute is a post on social media platform X by Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, in which he alleged that his speech had been dropped from the Metro inauguration programme as punishment for demanding Karnataka's rightful financial share. Vijayendra dismissed the claim as 'baseless and far from the truth,' drawing a direct parallel to a past incident.

'When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bengaluru to inaugurate the Yellow Line during Siddaramaiah's earlier tenure as Chief Minister, the then Bengaluru Development Minister D.K. Shivakumar was not given an opportunity to speak. Siddaramaiah delivered the address. Therefore, the claim that Krishna Byre Gowda's speech was removed because he raised questions about Bengaluru's development is far from the truth,' Vijayendra said.

Vijayendra Challenges Congress on Bengaluru's Development

Going on the offensive, Vijayendra challenged Krishna Byre Gowda to publicly disclose how much the state government had spent on Bengaluru's development over the past three-and-a-half years. 'What development have you undertaken in Bengaluru over the last three-and-a-half years? Reveal how many thousand crores you have allocated for the city's development. Also, tell us how many potholes you have filled,' the BJP leader demanded.

He also questioned Gowda's criticism of rising infrastructure costs, pointing to the Upper Krishna Project (UKP) — intended to provide irrigation water to farmers in Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Yadgir, and Raichur districts of North Karnataka — whose estimated cost has reportedly crossed ₹1 lakh crore. 'Go and ask your Chief Minister about this,' Vijayendra said.

Attack on Home Minister Priyank Kharge

Vijayendra also turned his attention to Home Minister Priyank Kharge, questioning the state government's handling of law and order. He cited the alleged rape of a 12-year-old Scheduled Tribe girl in Mundgod and accused Kharge of prioritising criticism of the Prime Minister over addressing serious crimes. 'Just because he has a tongue, does he think he can say anything? He has no understanding of the law-and-order situation. His only job seems to be criticising Prime Minister Modi,' Vijayendra alleged.

Minority Military Training Proposal and BJP Banner Row

The BJP chief also criticised the state government's proposal to provide military training to members of minority communities, alleging it was aimed at creating divisions between Muslims and Hindus. 'The Congress is systematically leading Muslims in the wrong direction by creating divisions between them and Hindus. This will benefit nobody,' he said.

Vijayendra further alleged that Congress workers had removed BJP flex banners ahead of the Prime Minister's visit. 'Congress leaders have removed BJP flex banners and are indulging in hooliganism. It is in their nature,' he alleged. Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to attend the golden jubilee celebrations of Prashanti Kutiram, flag off a Metro service, and visit Mysuru during his Friday tour of the state before returning to Delhi.

The visit is set to sharpen the already heightened political temperature between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP in Karnataka, with both sides showing no sign of stepping back ahead of the Prime Minister's arrival.