Gautam Adani Meets Karnataka Chief Minister Amid Tunnel Project Row

Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani met with Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on August 23, 2026, at the Chief Minister's residence in Bengaluru. The Chief Minister's Office described the hour-long encounter as a courtesy visit, and Shivakumar noted that Adani met him and left while acknowledging the group's work in the region.

The meeting occurred shortly after the United States Department of Justice dismissed an indictment involving Gautam Adani and Sagar Adani with prejudice on August 10. Prior to the visit, Adani visited the Mahudi Jain Temple in Gujarat to offer prayers ahead of the Paryushan Mahaparva festival.

The interaction drew sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party, which accused the ruling Congress party of double standards. BJP leaders, including Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok, questioned why the Congress party opposes Adani in Delhi while welcoming him in Karnataka. The controversy centers on a proposed 17.1-km Bengaluru North-South Twin Tunnel Road project, for which Adani Enterprises emerged as the lowest bidder with a ₹22,267 crore bid, though the tender remains unfinalized.

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya has challenged the tunnel project in the Karnataka High Court. Additionally, the BJP alleges the state government passed the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, specifically to facilitate the sale or lease of park land for the project.