By News18

Copyright news18

A senior Ola executive stirred online debate by calling for Bengaluru to be made a Union Territory, arguing that the city’s governance needs to be separated from state-level politics to ensure focused development.
In a LinkedIn post, Nikhil Gupta, who heads finance and revenue growth at Ola, said the demand must be taken seriously in light of the city’s worsening infrastructure crisis.
Gupta’s comments came after Blackbuck CEO Rajesh Yabaji announced he was shifting his company’s office out of Bellandur, citing that employees spend over 1.5 hours daily battling traffic and potholes.
Reacting to the move, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said, “If he wants to leave Bengaluru, all the best. He won’t find such talent anywhere else.”
Gupta, however, argued that such responses reflect a dismissive mindset.
“Think about it—an entrepreneur shifting his office within Bengaluru is told to ‘leave the city.’ Instead of addressing the reality of collapsing infrastructure, citizens and businesses are dismissed with arrogance,” he wrote.

He added that Bengaluru’s strength lies in its talent pool, which was built over decades by entrepreneurs, institutions, and citizens rather than by politicians.
“If leaders continue to take it for granted, decline is only a matter of time. What Bengaluru needs is not taunts, but accountable governance. What citizens deserve is not arrogance, but respect,” he said.
Gupta concluded by stressing that the city’s governance structure must be reimagined.
“This is why the demand for Bengaluru to be made a Union Territory must be taken seriously. Governance here has to be de-linked from state-level politics and run with focus, accountability, and urgency.”