Bengaluru: Senior BJP leader R Ashoka Wednesday criticised the Congress-led Karnataka government over the bus fare hike, alleging that it had failed to clear Rs 5,650.95 crore in dues to the state-run transport corporations and was passing the burden of its failures on to the public.
The Leader of Opposition said the hike could have been avoided had the government cleared the outstanding dues. He announced that the BJP would launch a statewide protest November 5, with demonstrations at all district headquarters, including Bengaluru.
The state government owes Rs 5,650.95 crore to the transport corporations. Had this amount been paid, there would have been no need to increase bus fares. Instead, the Congress government is imposing the burden of its own failures on the common people, Ashoka told reporters.
Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh had announced the fare hike for the four state-run transport corporations, with Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) fares going up by 23 per cent on average and Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) fares in Bengaluru by 33 to 35 per cent.
The revised rates come into force from Wednesday midnight.
Accusing the government of pushing the corporations into financial distress, Ashoka said the increase was unprecedented in the state’s history.
No government in Karnataka’s history has increased bus fares to this extent. The government has imposed an arbitrary hike, putting an additional burden on ordinary commuters. Although Deepavali is celebrated as the festival of lights, this government is bringing darkness into people’s lives, he alleged.
He accused the government of recovering the cost of the Shakti scheme, which offers free bus travel to women, from other passengers through higher fares, saying the financial burden was being passed on to the public indirectly.
The government has failed to release the money due to these corporations. The Finance Department has reportedly expressed its inability to provide the funds, and the government has chosen to recover the burden from passengers instead, he said.
Ashoka alleged that the corporations were struggling to meet operational expenses, including the purchase of spare parts, employees’ provident fund contributions and fuel bills. According to him, the corporations had outstanding provident fund liabilities of Rs 2,901.53 crore and fuel dues of Rs 827.37 crore.
Separately, he said the corporations’ own total liabilities, including salaries, PF and gratuity, stood at Rs 7,130.80 crore in May 2026.
He questioned the government’s decision to provide a guarantee of Rs 2,000 crore for borrowing, arguing that such borrowing could have been avoided had the dues been cleared. He said the fare hike was particularly burdensome for daily commuters, students, workers and middle-class families.
Recalling his tenure as Transport Minister, Ashoka claimed that the corporations had remained profitable during the BJP regime, barring the losses during the Covid-19 pandemic.
When I was the Transport Minister, the corporations were operating profitably. They had even purchased 1,110 acres of land using their own funds to create a land bank, which is now worth around Rs 10,000 crore. We had also developed TTMCs (Traffic and Transit Management Centres), which generated annual rental revenue of Rs 40-50 crore, he said.
He alleged that the present government had failed to maintain the corporations’ financial health and had allowed their liabilities to mount.
Referring to reports of buses operating with mechanical problems, he alleged that inadequate maintenance had compromised passenger safety.
There have been incidents of steering wheels coming off while buses were being driven, passengers having to push buses and buses operating without headlights, with drivers using mobile phone torches for visibility. This reflects the condition into which the transport corporations have been pushed, he alleged.
The BJP leader also criticised the government over the increase in milk and milk product prices.
He alleged that it had failed to keep its promise of raising the milk incentive for farmers to Rs 7 per litre and had instead put the burden on the people by raising milk prices by Rs 8 per litre. He claimed that the prices of certain milk varieties had gone up by Rs 12 to Rs 13, and that curd prices had risen as well.
Ashoka targeted Chief Minister D K Shivakumar over what he termed unfulfilled development promises. He demanded that the government release a white paper on the state’s financial position and disclose the funds available in the treasury.
Before making more promises, the government should release a white paper explaining how much money is available in the Finance Department. People should not be misled by announcements when the government itself is struggling to meet its financial commitments, he said.
He accused the government of making announcements on projects such as Brand Bengaluru, the tunnel road and the Mekedatu project without delivering on them.
The BJP will launch a statewide agitation November 5 against the bus fare hike. Strong protests will be held in all district headquarters and in Bengaluru. This is an issue that directly affects the common people, and the public must actively participate in the protest, he said.
