Kumaraswamy alleges Rs 3 lakh crore NICE project loss, Shivakumar hits back

Union minister HD Kumaraswamy has alleged irregularities in the Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor (NICE) project, claiming a loss of around Rs 3 lakh crore to the state exchequer, and urged commuters to stop paying toll. He said the 2004 Outline Development Plan altered the 1997 Cabinet-approved Framework Agreement without fresh approval, increasing the toll road land from 6,999 acres to 9,469 acres, and added 15 lakes and new survey numbers. Kumaraswamy targeted Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who was urban development minister then, and demanded his resignation, calling the project 'bigger than 2G and coal scams'.

Shivakumar hit back, calling the charges 'a bundle of lies'. He admitted to assets worth Rs 1,400 crore but said they were acquired legally and declared to the Income Tax Department. He questioned Kumaraswamy's silence for years, pointing out that his father, HD Deve Gowda, had signed the initial MoU. Bengaluru development minister Krishna Byre Gowda defended Shivakumar, noting Kumaraswamy, as chief minister in 2007, did not cancel the NICE agreement. Congress ministers later questioned a rise in Kumaraswamy's brother's assets. Kumaraswamy said he will release more documents.

Update, 2 October 2026: Congress ministers HC Balakrishna and Priyank Kharge questioned a rise in HD Kumaraswamy's brother's assets to around Rs 1,000 crore, as reported by the Times of India. Shivakumar challenged Kumaraswamy to an Assembly debate, according to Indian Express and India Today. The Indian Express and Hindustan Times added that Shivakumar called Kumaraswamy 'desperate' and dared him to approach the IT department.