Bengaluru, 13 Dec

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar pushed for the Karnataka Apartment (Ownership and Management) Bill 2025 in a fiery interaction with citizens. 

The bill seeks a clear transfer of property rights and undivided share (UDS) from builders or promoters to owners and strengthening owners’ associations with clear formation rules, registration mechanisms, and enforcement power for bylaws. It also aims to consolidate governance under one powerful act rather than the previous multiple laws.

“Nineteen percent of Bengaluru residents are apartment dwellers. No government tried to change the Apartment Bill since it was introduced in 1972. Our government is trying to do that,” the Bengaluru Minister said during an interaction with representatives of Bengaluru Apartment Associations on Saturday. 

However, he issued a stern warning against opposition to the bill. Do you not know who you are talking to, he said after resident wrote a letter to him.  

“One Mr Kiran Hebbar has written a threatening letter saying that the apartment owners could influence the GBA (Greater Bengaluru Authority) elections if we don’t listen to them. We are not scared of threats. One must have basic common sense who they are talking to,” Shivakumar remarked.  

Shivakumar read out the letter by Hebbar, a representative of the association. It said the association didn’t want to wait for two-and-a-half more years for the bill.   “The Congress party had promised us. We represent a significant voting bloc, influence approximately 1.3 crore people of Bengaluru, of the 1.5 crore population," the letter said. 

Shivakumar said that he had returned from jail without getting scared of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. “I have owned and built many apartment complexes and know the voting pattern in apartment areas.”

“Warning me and cautioning me? Whom are you doing this with? What's the obligation to invite you? We respect the human relationship, your efforts and its outcome. Gandhi had said If you want to control yourself, use your brain. If you want to control others, use your heart. I use my heart to control," Shivakumar continued.

The Deputy CM said the Congress had not made any promise. Instead, the 18 BJP MLAs who were elected from Bengaluru made the promise.

Simultaneously, he said he sought apartment resident’s support for the upcoming GBA election. 

"I am telling you that you can't play a game with me as you do with others. We have more brain power than you, but we are still on the ground. That's why I called you because we want your voice to become our voice," he added.

Minister, not our master: DKS’ don’t threaten barb draws flak  

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar saying that the government wasn’t scared of threats received strong reaction from the Opposition and City leaders. 

“Is this governance or bullying,” BJP leader R Ashoka wrote on X. Instead of answering genuine questions from Apartment Associations, DyCM chooses intimidation - boasting about his past, flexing power, and openly threatening citizens by talking about “voting patterns” of apartment residents.”

Apartment owners are not vote banks, he said. 

Similarly, the JD(S) said Shivakumar was threatening people like a “thug”.

Former Infosys CFO TV Mohandas Pai reminded Shivakumar that he was a “Minister and not our master”.