The Bidadi township row triggers a war of letters between DKS and HDK

Farmers hold Bairamangala Chalo rally and protest against Bidadi Township Project in Bidadi. | Photo credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN

The standoff between Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy over the Bidadi Township Project has reached a new point of confrontation, with the two leaders inviting each other for an open debate at different places and times.

In the letter, the Chief Minister invited Mr. Kumaraswamy to the Vidhana Soudha for a discussion on June 26, stressing that the project was planned by the latter. “In view of the Bidadi Township project you have initiated, I am excited to discuss the matter with you. I invite you along with five of your representatives for a discussion on June 26 at 11 am in my office,” Mr. Shivakumar said in the letter.

Mr. Kumaraswamy wrote back to the Chief Minister that he was busy with pre-scheduled programs for June 26 and requested that the meeting be postponed by one day to June 27. However, he expressed dissatisfaction with the proposed venue and said Mr. Shivakumar should consider holding the meeting either at Bidadi or Bairamangale.

Mr. Kumaraswamy said that the Vidhana Soudha cannot accommodate a large number of people and that holding the meeting at any of the venues he is proposing would create an opportunity for the aggrieved farmers and stakeholders to share their views and discuss the matter to its logical conclusion.

The exchange of letters comes after the two leaders, both with ties to Bidadi, called on each other for an open discussion, a process that has gone back and forth over the past month.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Kumaraswamy addressed a press conference and recalled the statement of Congress leaders in 2007 who opposed it when Bidadi district was discussed in the Assembly. He pointed to the contradictory position that Mr. Shivakumar is currently taking.

This is to refute Mr. Shivakumar’s repeated statements that Bidadi township was planned by Mr. Kumaraswamy himself, who is now opposed.

Published – 22 Jun 2026 23:08 IST