By Rootsalert News Desk| 09-February-2026
Bengaluru South MP claims arrest is an attempt to silence him; demands ‘White Paper’ on state finances from CM Siddaramaiah.
Bengaluru: High drama unfolded near the Jayanagar metro station on Monday morning as Bengaluru South MP and BJP Yuva Morcha National President, Tejasvi Surya, was detained by the police while attempting to stage a protest against the proposed hike in Namma Metro fares.
The police action came a day after Surya was served a notice for allegedly organizing a protest at a metro station without prior permission. despite the notice, the MP proceeded with his agitation against the ruling Congress government, accusing them of financial mismanagement which he claims is burdening the common commuter.
Following his detention and subsequent release, Surya took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to lash out at the state administration.
“Arresting me won’t silence me! Shameful that the Congress government arrested me for exposing the truth: That this is a ‘Khali Trunk’ Govt,”
Surya posted. He alleged that Karnataka’s finances are “broken” and that citizens are paying the price through rising operational costs and metro fares.
Surya further demanded accountability from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, asking for a “White Paper” in the upcoming Budget to explain the state’s fiscal health. “Fix the finances, restore shadow cash support to Metro, and Metro fares will fall. Anything else is deception,” he added.
The issue has sparked a fresh row between the BJP and the Congress-led state government. While Surya claims the state proposed a 5% fare hike to the Fare Fixation Committee (FFC), the Karnataka government has denied these allegations.
Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao slammed the BJP for “politicizing” the issue. Speaking to reporters, Rao stated, “The CM has already written to the government of India not to increase the fare. The metro is run by both State and Central governments. Let there be an official order, then we will see.”
As the standoff continues, commuters in Bengaluru remain anxious about the potential impact on their daily travel expenses.
