DK Shivakumar hits back at SP MP over Bengaluru traffic remark, says will ‘show him’ Delhi congestion

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Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Monday hit back at Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai’s criticism of Bengaluru’s traffic, saying he would meet the parliamentarian in New Delhi and “show him” what congestion truly looks like in the national capital.

His sharp counter came after Rai lashed out at Bengaluru’s traffic management on X, calling it the “most notorious” after a massive jam nearly caused him to miss his flight.

Rai, an MP from Ghosi, Uttar Pradesh, and a member of the INDIA bloc, said he was stuck for nearly an hour on Rajkumar Samadhi Road in Bengaluru on Sunday. In his post, he tagged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and accused the city’s traffic police of being “irresponsible” and “useless”, sharing a screenshot of his unanswered calls while tagging both the CM and the police commissioner.

The Ghosi MP said he did not see any officers on the ground to manage the situation and claimed the system had become so dysfunctional that it was beginning to tarnish the reputation of an otherwise vibrant and beautiful city.

The post went viral on Monday and triggered a debate on the city's traffic management.

Shivakumar, who oversees Bengaluru’s development portfolio, dismissed the complaint with a political jibe. “Let me meet him in Delhi...I will meet him in Delhi and I will show him the traffic in Delhi...” he told reporters, as quoted by news agency ANI, suggesting Delhi's traffic would put things in perspective for the MP.

Shivakumar has previously faced criticism for his remarks on the issue, including a controversial statement that "even god cannot fix Bengaluru's traffic".