Bengaluru: The politics surrounding Bengaluru’s controversial tunnel road project has taken a fiery turn, with BJP MP Tejasvi Surya launching a direct challenge to the ruling Congress government — accusing it of pushing a ‘white elephant’ project marred by massive corruption while ignoring real urban mobility solutions.

The young Bengaluru South MP, known for his sharp attacks, has not only held a press conference exposing what he claims are shocking facts about the tunnel road’s cost-benefit failures but has also thrown down the gauntlet for a live, public debate with Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who is spearheading the project.

Name the time and place, I am ready for an open debate.

“ If the Congress government really believes in technical scrutiny and public consultation as it claims, then D.K. Shivakumar must accept this open challenge. Let Bengalureans see for themselves who is telling the truth about this gigantic scam,” Tejasvi posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday. Two days ago, Surya had laid out a blistering indictment of the tunnel road plan in a detailed press conference. He claimed that the multi-thousand crore rupee project would benefit only a handful of affluent commuters while draining public money that could be used to expand Metro rail, suburban trains, and city buses. “This tunnel road will destroy the city’s existing infrastructure, displace thousands, and open the floodgates for corruption and misuse of funds. It has zero benefit for common Bengalureans stuck in traffic jams every day. This is a scam in the making, plain and simple,” he had said. Surya presented documents and figures to argue that the cost per kilometer is unjustifiably high, there is no credible feasibility study on traffic decongestion, and land acquisition will fuel real estate speculation to benefit cronies.

Unwilling to let the charges go unanswered, the Congress responded with a flurry of posts on X defending the tunnel road as an essential step towards building a ‘Brand Bengaluru’ of the future.

“This is not about political mileage. This is about integrated mobility for Bengaluru’s next generation. Metro, suburban rail, buses and tunnel roads — all of it together will cut travel time, reduce air pollution and boost the economy. Please don’t sabotage every project for petty politics,” the party said in its posts.

The Congress also claimed that it welcomes ‘technical advice and public scrutiny’ but accused Surya of grandstanding for the sake of headlines. “Public audit, technical review and open consultation will always be welcome. But painting every bold vision as a scam stalls Bengaluru’s growth. The people want execution, not endless bickering,” the party asserted. Undeterred, Surya doubled down on Wednesday, telling the Congress to stop hiding behind tweets and face the people. “If you genuinely stand by your plan, debate me publicly. Let experts, citizens, urban planners watch it live. I’m ready. Are you?” he asked, tagging D.K. Shivakumar in his tweet.

Surya has also hinted that he will soon submit a memorandum to the Governor and even move court if the government pushes the project without wider consultations and a detailed independent review. Urban transport activists say the government has failed to clearly disclose detailed project reports, cost-benefit studies or independent environmental impact assessments. “Everything is hush-hush, and that’s what makes people suspect another mega scam,” says Suresh Kumar, a member of the Bengaluru Mobility Forum. Meanwhile, the Congress insists the plan is part of a multi-modal strategy to ‘decarbonize’ city traffic by reducing idling vehicles and creating signal-free corridors. It argues that flyovers and tunnels, if executed properly, can complement mass transport — but admits that the public must be kept in the loop.