A fierce political confrontation has broken out between Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, after the latter strongly criticised a demolition drive carried out in parts of Bengaluru.

Shivakumar, hitting back sharply, warned senior leaders against making sweeping political accusations without understanding the ground reality of another state.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Saturday, Shivakumar described Vijayan’s comments as “unfortunate” and politically misleading. He asserted that the demolition of structures in Fakir Colony and Waseem Layout was not an act of targeted eviction, but a necessary administrative step to reclaim encroached public land.

According to him, the land in question was a waste dumping site that had been illegally occupied and was being systematically converted into a slum by land mafia networks.

Rejecting allegations of “bulldozer justice,” Shivakumar said the Karnataka government was acting within the law and with sensitivity. “We are not into bulldozers. We are safeguarding public land and public property,” he said, adding that residents were given time and options to relocate.

He also claimed that only a small number of those affected were residents, countering the narrative of mass displacement.

In a pointed message aimed directly at the Kerala chief minister, Shivakumar said leaders of Vijayan’s stature must avoid commentary driven by ideology rather than facts.

“Senior leaders should first understand Bengaluru’s issues before passing judgments. We know our city well, and we will not allow slums that fuel land mafia activities,” he said.

The response came after Vijayan, in a Facebook post, launched a blistering attack on the Congress-led Karnataka government. Calling the demolitions “extremely shocking and painful,” Vijayan alleged that Muslim families who had lived in the area for years were forcibly evicted.

He accused the Karnataka government of borrowing the “North Indian bulldozer justice model” and questioned how a Congress administration could justify demolitions instead of ensuring housing for the urban poor.

Vijayan went further, branding the action as a reflection of “anti-minority aggressive politics,” a charge that has intensified political tensions and placed the Congress under uncomfortable scrutiny from within the broader opposition space.

With emotions running high and narratives colliding, the Bengaluru demolition row has now transformed into a larger ideological battle—one that pits governance claims against allegations of injustice, and threatens to deepen cracks within opposition unity.