Bengaluru Metro: How Yellow Line Launch Passed Through Credit War, Camaraderie & Jibes
The much-anticipated visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to flag off Bengaluru Metro's Yellow Line turned into a showcase of 'unity in development" optics, even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress remain locked in intense political rivalry.
While PM Modi officially launched the Yellow Line and flagged off the first driverless train from Ragigudda metro station — after inaugurating three Vande Bharat trains at KSR Bengaluru station — the political theatre just got interesting.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar was front and centre, taking charge of explaining the metro project's details, especially the Yellow Line and other upcoming expansion works, while Chief Minister Siddaramaiah watched his deputy lead the conversation.
After the inaugural flag-off, Shivakumar escorted the Prime Minister to Ragigudda metro station. Modi arrived there directly from KSR Bengaluru railway station, having travelled by road after the Vande Bharat launch. At Ragigudda, the PM was given a guided tour of the station. With its launch, the Bengaluru Metro network now spans 96.1 km — the second-longest in India after Delhi Metro.
Shivakumar, who also holds the portfolio of Bengaluru Urban Development Minister apart from being the State's Deputy Chief Minister, briefed PM Modi on the Yellow Line's design, route, and features, and also showed him a model of the railway stations on the Yellow Line.
Built over eight years at a cost of Rs 7,610 crore, the 19.15-km fully elevated corridor connects RV Road to Bommasandra via Silk Board Junction and Electronics City. This brings metro connectivity to southern and southeastern Bengaluru and is expected to significantly ease the notorious Silk Board traffic, which has often been highlighted when speaking about Bengaluru's traffic woes.
PM Modi in his address said that with this Yellow line launch 25 lakh passengers will use the metro services each day.
Inside the station, Modi purchased his ticket to Electronics City by scanning a QR code and paying through UPI — a move that played straight into his digital economy narrative.
Once onboard the Yellow Line train, Modi was flanked by Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah on each side as the Deputy CM continued his explanations about the route.
Connectivity projects being launched in Bengaluru today will make travel smoother, faster and more convenient, while also boosting economic growth. https://t.co/UQgtiBfwqA — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 10, 2025
Siddarmaiah, DK Shivakumar side by side
The Yellow Line inauguration also produced a rare visual — Shivakumar and Kumaraswamy, arch-political rivals, sitting side by side. It was a sight few could miss. Also accompanying them was young parliamentarian, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, whom Shivakumar jibed at, referring to him as the 'boy in a hurry" when it came to the metro project inauguration that Surya has been pushing for.
Though the event was officially a central government programme, the Congress-led Karnataka government used the platform to highlight Bengaluru's crucial role in powering India's economy — and to remind the BJP-led Centre that funding and support for development projects in the state cannot be ignored.
It was here that CM Siddaramaiah took the stage to drive home his message to the PM: 'It is very important to say that it is a joint programme of the Central and State Governments. The State Government has already completed 96.10 km of metro work and spent Rs 20,387 crore. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is here for three programmes — the inauguration of the Metro Yellow Line, the laying of the foundation stone for Metro Phase 3, and the launch of One India Three Trains. You all know that the Bengaluru Metro began in 2005, during the tenure of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It has always been a joint project between the Centre and the State — supposedly 50-50 — but the State Government is spending more."
The yellow line operations
Operations on the Yellow Line will begin at 5 am on August 11, with trains running every 25 minutes. A highlight of the line is the Jayadeva Hospital station, now the tallest in South India. This multi-tier interchange will link the Yellow and Pink Lines, providing a crucial hub for the city's growing metro network and also service the IT capital's largest technology hub — Electronics City.
While laying the foundation stone for the third phase of the metro project, PM Modi pointed out that India has become the world's third-largest metro network.
'In four major cities we have 1,000 km of metro network. Before 2014, 20,000 km of rail network was electrified; in the last ten years 14,000 km has been electrified," he said.
Similarly, the PM referred to development in education, opening of medical colleges, and other works.
Shivakumar's pitch for Bengaluru
Taking the camaraderie with Prime Minister Narendra Modi a step further, Shivakumar compared tax allocations, saying Ahmedabad received a 20% share while Bengaluru got only 10%. 'We should be treated like other major cities and considered alongside the national capital and treated just like the national capital," he said, stressing that his appeal was non-political.
Shivakumar also had a pitch for Bengaluru. He said that the city should be considered to become the national capital. Shivakumar has his reasons, and this is what he said:
Bengaluru's superior infrastructure, the speedy work on development projects, the fact that Bengaluru's roads are better than Delhi's, and the city's higher tax contributions and larger investment in projects like the Metro and flyovers. He urged the Prime Minister to consider declaring Bengaluru as the national capital.
The Deputy Chief Minister urged the Prime Minister to sanction at least Rs 1 lakh crore for Bengaluru's development. He said the State Government had borne the entire cost of land acquisition for the project, despite the Centre being expected to contribute 50%. 'Even though Bengaluru is the country's second-highest tax-paying city, the grants we receive are minimal," he said.
One cannot, however, also miss the fact that Shivakumar himself had taken a ride on the Yellow Line just days before the PM's visit, which the BJP alleged was a way to try to steal credit for the work that the BJP at the Centre had done.
Flagged off the Vande Bharat train from Bengaluru to Belagavi along with PM @narendramodi at the Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station in Bengaluru.Also virtually flagged off the Vande Bharat Express trains from Amritsar to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, and from Nagpur… pic.twitter.com/VXqylD02K5
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) August 10, 2025
Credit chori, says Priyank Kharge
Amid this clamour, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge called the PM's visit another attempt at ' credit chori." Kharge said the delays for the projects and the launch were due to the shortage of adequate funding from the Centre, and now, with everything in place, the BJP is attempting to hijack the credit, he alleged.
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'I welcome Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to Karnataka for the inauguration of the Yellow Line Metro. As BJP desperately tries to shift the focus from #VoteChori to #CreditChori by hijacking the credit for the Yellow Line Phase 2, let's set the record straight," Kharge said.
Tejasvi Surya took a swipe at this and said that 'the Congress took credit for the IPL win as well, and in the process 11 lives were lost. They want to take credit for things they have not done," the MP said.
About the Author
Rohini Swamy
Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor at News18, has been a journalist for nearly two decades in the television and digital space. She covers south India for News18's digital platform. She has previously worked with t...Read More
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First Published:
August 10, 2025, 15:40 IST
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