It's tragic Bengaluru is now gaining infamy as 'city of potholes': Kumaraswamy

Bengaluru: JD(S) leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday targeted the Congress government in Karnataka for the Bengaluru infrastructure woes, and said it is "tragic" that the city is now gaining infamy as the "city of potholes".

Claiming that industries are losing faith in Karnataka and migrating to neighbouring states, the former chief minister urged them not to leave the city. "We will make Bengaluru great again."

Kumaraswamy's remarks came after industry veterans in Bengaluru like former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai and Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw urged the state government to immediately intervene, after online trucking platform BlackBuck decided to move the company out of its current location at Bellandur on Bengaluru's Outer Ring Road (ORR), citing commuting and road infrastructure issues.

"The proud city of Bengaluru, built by Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, has suffered a severe blow to its reputation. It is tragic that Bengaluru is now gaining infamy as the City of Potholes," Kumaraswamy said in a post on 'X'.

The proud city of Bengaluru, built by Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, has suffered a severe blow to its reputation. It is tragic that Bengaluru is now gaining infamy as the “City of Potholes.”

The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister are responsible for this disgrace. Today,…

— ಹೆಚ್.ಡಿ.ಕುಮಾರಸ್ವಾಮಿ | HD Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) September 18, 2025

Alleging that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar are responsible for this "disgrace", he said, "today, Bengaluru and Karnataka are trapped in the hands of the incompetent and the corrupt.

"At every step, there is a death trap of potholes; everywhere one looks, heaps of garbage. Is this what they call Greater Bengaluru? What is BBMP (civic body now Greater Bengaluru Authority) doing, swallowing taxpayers' money while doing nothing?"

Noting that industrialists were right in calling this an "utter failure of governance", Kumaraswamy said, " You don't need a mirror to see a festering wound. For the first time in history, industries themselves have so strongly exposed the government's failures. This government has neither shame nor self-respect. It has trampled on the pride of Kannadigas."

When it comes to levying taxes, this government shows rocket speed, but when it comes to filling potholes, it doesn't even have the speed of a tortoise. "It shows madness in looting, but utter neglect towards development. State development has been sacrificed at the altar of election guarantees, while Greater Bengaluru is collapsing," he said.

"The government must answer, where is the taxpayers' money going? Whose pockets is it filling? The people deserve an answer," he added.

Claiming that industries are losing faith in Karnataka and migrating to neighbouring states, the union minister, who is MP from Mandya said that those states have been waiting for this very moment, and are offering one concession after another to attract them.

"This shameless government (in Karnataka) cannot even understand the gravity of the situation, its senses have gone numb," he said.

Appealing to industries not to leave Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy said, this city carries a great legacy and rich heritage.

"We will teach this thick-skinned government a lesson. We, the people of Karnataka, stand firmly with you. Remove the thought of leaving from your minds: together, we will rebuild Bengaluru. We will make Bengaluru great again," he added.