Minister leaves for Delhi amid row over portfolio jurisdiction

NEwly ordained tell Bengaluru evolution government minister Krishna Byre Gowda on tues left for New Delhi after failing to secure structural changes extending the department’s jurisdiction to include the Bengaluru Development Authority and the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority, party insiders familiar with the matter said.Gowda is expected to meet Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Lop Gandhi, and senior leaders KC Venugopal and state-in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala to press his case.The development comes days after senior minister Ramalinga Reddy was persuaded to withdraw his resignation over a disagreement on portfolio-allocation.Party leaders said Byre Gowda, who was yet to formally assume charge of the department, has been pressing for the two civic agencies to be brought under the department’s control, arguing that the portfolio would have little practical authority without oversight of the agencies that shape much of Bengaluru’s urban planning and development. “The issue is not merely about a portfolio. It is about where authority over Bengaluru actually rests,” a leader in the know said.Leaders involved in the consultations said Gowda has argued that responsibility for Bengaluru’s infrastructure challenges cannot be separated from authority over the institutions that control planning approvals, land development and metropolitan expansion.Leaders added that Gowda has conveyed his position to CM DK Shivakumar, Surjewala, and other senior leaders, including Rahul Gandhi.He is also believed to have raised concerns about coordination with Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited, another key institution involved in the city’s infrastructure expansion.The structural dispute has revived tensions around a department that has repeatedly generated friction within the government. Ramalinga Reddy had earlier resigned after being assigned the irrigation portfolio instead of Bengaluru development before withdrawing his resignation following intervention from the Congress high command.Congress figures aware of the internal discussions said the leadership believed it had settled the turbulence created by the Ramalinga Reddy episode, but Gowda’s objections have reopened questions about how power over Bengaluru’s development agencies is distributed within the government.Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad will accompany Gowda to Delhi, said party leaders, adding that he continued to seek induction into the ministry. Arshad, who represents Shivajinagar, recently chaired the Joint Review Committee that examined the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024. The committee’s recommendations paved the way for the creation of the Greater Bengaluru Authority.Before departing for Delhi, Gowda met Shivakumar at Vidhana Soudha and reiterated his concerns. Leaders said that if the existing arrangement remains unchanged, alternative portfolios could enter the discussion, with the revenue department among the possibilities being mentioned within party circles.The Bengaluru Development portfolio remains one of the most influential assignments in Karnataka because of its role in overseeing urban expansion, land development and major infrastructure projects in the rapidly growing capital.