Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday hit out at the BJP over its opposition to the recent metro fare hike and accused them of “spreading false and misleading information” among the public.

The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on Saturday effected a hike on the recommendation of the Fare Fixation Committee, which came into force from Sunday onwards. The maximum fare has been enhanced from Rs 60 to Rs 90 and the minimum balance has been increased from Rs 50 to Rs 90.

In a statement, the chief minister said, “The BJP leaders are now opposing the fare hike, spreading false and misleading information to blame the Karnataka government and also misleading the public. People have the right to question and oppose any government policy– this is their constitutional right, and I respect that.” He alleged that the BJP leaders who take credit for Bengaluru Metro’s expansion as the Centre’s achievement are now shifting the blame onto the state government.

“The state BJP, which the people have placed in the opposition, is deliberately spreading falsehoods for political gain and fueling public outrage with misinformation. The same BJP leaders who take credit for Bengaluru Metro’s expansion as the Centre’s achievement are now shifting the blame onto the Karnataka government when there is public anger over the fare hike. This is nothing but self-deception and hypocrisy,” he stated.

Stating that BMRCL is a joint venture between the Union and Karnataka governments, with equal partnership, the CM highlighted that the current chairman of BMRCL is Srinivas Katikithala, who is also the Union Secretary for Housing and Urban Affairs.

“Both Union and State government officials serve as Managing Directors and Directors on the BMRCL board. BMRCL is an autonomous body, meaning the Karnataka government does not have full control over its decisions,” he stated.

Siddaramaiah cited that like all other metro corporations in the country, BMRCL operates under the Metro Railways (Operations and Maintenance) Act, 2002, which is controlled by the Union government.

“Since 2017, metro fares were not revised, and BMRCL itself wrote to the Union government requesting a revision. If the Karnataka government had the power to decide fares, why did BMRCL write to the Centre instead of the State government?,” he asked.

He noted that responding to BMRCL’s letter, the Union Government constituted a Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) under Justice R Tharani (Retd.), former Madras High Court judge. This committee included representatives from both the Union and State governments.

Elaborating further, the CM said that the Union government directed the committee, which began functioning on September 16, 2024, with a three-month deadline. The committee consulted BMRCL officials, visited Delhi and Chennai Metro authorities, studied operations, and analysed fare structures. On December 16, 2024, the committee submitted its final report after detailed discussions and assessments.

“When BMRCL last revised fares in June 2017, Phase 1 (42.3 km) was completed. Now, Phase 2 is partially completed, and the metro network has expanded beyond 42.3 km. By December 2026, Metro lines 2, 2A, and 2B (96.6 km) will be completed, expanding Bengaluru Metro to 175.55 km. The committee reviewed fare structures of other metros, including Mumbai and Delhi,” he stated.

Siddaramaiah highlighted that except for the Delhi Metro, the initial phase fares in all other states were determined by the respective state metro corporations. However, fare revisions are now decided by a committee appointed by the Union government.

“As per Section 37 of the Metro Railways (Operations and Maintenance) Act, metro corporations (in this case, BMRCL) are legally bound to implement the fare recommendations made by this committee,” he stated.