Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya has taken a swipe at Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar regarding his recent comments that linked car ownership to marriage aspirations. The exchange occurred during discussions about a proposed tunnel road project in Bengaluru.
Surya expressed his surprise on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “For all these days, I was under the wrong impression that the tunnel project was aimed at solving Bengaluru traffic problem. Now, DCM has clarified that it is intended to solve a social problem – of people not wanting to marry a man without car. How stupid I was!”
Earlier, Surya had met Shivakumar to voice his opposition to the costly “car-only” tunnel project. He argued that the allocated funds would be better utilized for expanding Bengaluru’s Metro and suburban rail networks, along with enhancing last-mile connectivity.
Responding to Surya’s objections, Shivakumar defended the project, emphasizing that mobility planning must consider social realities. He remarked, “People prefer to travel in their own vehicles with their families. Can we prevent them from using their cars? … Today, people even hesitate to marry a boy who doesn’t own a car.”
Surya further alleged that Shivakumar had dismissed all his proposals, including the expansion of the Metro system to a 300-kilometer network with a three-minute frequency, and strengthening the suburban rail network to accommodate an additional 60-65 lakh commuters daily. Surya criticized the tunnel project as an “extremely costly” solution for Bengaluru’s traffic woes.
In response, Shivakumar acknowledged Surya’s suggestions but pointed out the need for central government financial support for such large-scale infrastructure projects.