Bengaluru: BJP MP from Bengaluru South Tejasvi Surya was briefly detained by police on Monday morning after staging a symbolic protest against the recent Bengaluru Metro fare hike at a metro station.
Surya arrived at the station carrying an empty trunk, alleging that the Congress-led Karnataka government was facing a financial crisis and was passing the burden onto commuters through repeated fare revisions. The protest was aimed at highlighting what he described as the state government’s withdrawal of financial support to the metro system.
Ahead of the protest, Bengaluru Police had issued a notice to Surya citing a Karnataka High Court directive that restricts demonstrations to Freedom Park, warning that protests outside the designated zone could invite legal action. Despite the notice, Surya proceeded with the protest and was taken into custody for a short period before being released.
During the detention, Surya questioned the legal basis of the police action, stating that travelling by metro could not be construed as an offence and that preventive detention of a sitting Member of Parliament raised serious constitutional concerns.
Speaking to the media, Surya said that the proposed metro fare hike was a direct consequence of the state government’s financial mismanagement. He claimed that previous governments had provided “shadow cash support” to the metro through the state budget, allowing fares to remain affordable, but that the current government had withdrawn this support citing fiscal stress.
Surya welcomed the Centre’s decision to temporarily halt the fare revision but maintained that it was only a short-term relief. He demanded that the Chief Minister present a white paper on Karnataka’s financial condition in the upcoming budget session to clarify whether the state treasury was indeed, as he alleged, “an empty trunk.”
He also reiterated that he would continue to raise his voice for affordable public transport, reduced commuter burden, and improved urban infrastructure in Bengaluru.
The protest was attended by Jayanagar BJP MLA C.K. Ramamurthy and other BJP leaders.
ಇದನ್ನೂ ಓದಿ: ‘ಖಾಲಿ ಟ್ರಂಕ್, ಖಾಲಿ ಖಜಾನೆ’: ಮೆಟ್ರೋ ದರ ಏರಿಕೆ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ತೇಜಸ್ವಿ ಸೂರ್ಯ ಹೋರಾಟ, ತಾತ್ಕಾಲಿಕ ಬಂಧನ
Also Read: No Fare Hike from Feb 9: BMRCL Puts Revision on Hold
Also Read: ‘Mr CM, Cut the Drama’: Tejasvi Surya Takes Metro Fare Protest to RV Road Station
About the Author
