War over Nice Project
He has said his family’s assets, currently valued at around Rs 1,400 crore, were acquired legally through business and investments and disclosed to statutory authorities. Bengaluru: The NICE Road controversy is fast turning into a war primarily between Union minister HD Kumaraswamy and DK Shivakumar , one which the chief minister can ill afford to brush aside as another political attack. Kumaraswamy is not merely questioning the Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project; he is linking alleged changes in the project, land transactions and properties in Bengaluru to Shivakumar and his family. Shivakumar has rejected the allegations as false and politically motivated.
He accused Shivakumar of attempting to pressure him through influential people, including a serving IAS officer, to stop his attacks and alleged that an offer was made to take care of his party’s expenses for the 2028 assembly elections if he dropped the campaign. However, none of these allegations have been independently established.
Political analyst Vishwas Shetty said Kumaraswamy was raising questions that can easily be answered through official records. “Once specific agreements, survey numbers, govt decisions and transactions are put in public domain, political denial alone may not settle the issue,” he said. Political strategist MB Maramkal said the NICE row could resonate in Old Mysuru, where both Vokkaliga faces are seeking political space. “With Kumaraswamy promising more documents, Shivakumar faces the challenge of countering the Union minister’s narrative ahead of 2028 assembly elections,” he said.
Shivakumar’s supporters have countered the JD(S) chief with minister HC Balakrishna accusing Kumaraswamy of holding land in the NICE project area. Kumaraswamy rejected the charge, saying he bought the land before entering politics, when he was involved in agriculture.