Karnataka deputy CM hits back at Kerala CM over Bengaluru demolition criticism

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday hit back at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over his criticism of the recent demolition drive in Bengaluru, asserting that “senior leaders should not interfere without knowing the facts on the ground.”

Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, Shivakumar termed Vijayan’s remarks “unfortunate” and said leaders from outside the state must first understand the city’s ground realities before making political statements. He maintained that the demolitions were carried out due to encroachment on public land and were not targeted at any particular community.

According to the Deputy Chief Minister, the land in question was an encroached waste dumpsite , and the demolition was undertaken to reclaim public property. He alleged that land mafia interests were attempting to illegally convert the encroached land into a slum, posing serious challenges to urban governance in a rapidly growing city like Bengaluru.

“We have humanity. We gave people an opportunity to move to new places. Only a few of them are locals,” Shivakumar said, adding that the government was acting to safeguard public spaces. “We are not into bulldozers. We are trying to protect our land and public property,” he asserted.

Shivakumar also appealed to the Kerala Chief Minister to refrain from commenting without full knowledge of the situation. “Senior leaders like Pinarayi Vijayan should understand the issues in Bengaluru . We know our city well, and we do not want to encourage slums that promote land mafia activities,” he said.

The Deputy Chief Minister’s remarks came after Vijayan, in a Facebook post, strongly criticised the demolition of Fakir Colony and Waseem Layout in Bengaluru. Describing the action as “extremely shocking and painful,” Vijayan alleged that Muslims had been living in these areas for several years and accused the Karnataka government of following a “North Indian bulldozer justice model.”

The Kerala Chief Minister further questioned the Congress-led Karnataka government, asking how it could justify forced evictions instead of ensuring shelter for the poor. He termed the demolitions reflective of “anti-minority aggressive politics” and said it was surprising to witness such actions under a Congress government.

The episode has once again brought the national debate on so-called “bulldozer justice” into focus. While critics argue that demolitions due to alleged encroachments often bypass due process and disproportionately impact marginalized communities, governments have defended such actions as necessary to reclaim encroached public land, curb land mafia operations, and address urban encroachment driven by rapid urbanisation.