There seems to be no end in sight to the online standoff between Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw over the crumbling infrastructure in Bengaluru, as the Congress leader on Sunday took a swipe at the Biocon chief for “forgetting” her “root”.
Shivakumar said he is open to criticism but some “people are doing it too much”, and he will remain unfazed by such things.
His remarks came a day after he asked Shaw to develop roads if she wanted to.
The developments came at a time when the state government has come under criticism over the “poor state of roads and traffic issues in the city”, with industry veterans like former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai and Shaw repeatedly openly asking for intervention.
“Those who have started businesses here, have grown. After growing big, they have forgotten from what stage they have grown into what stage now. If you forget the root, you will not get the fruit. Some have forgotten and are criticising by tweeting,” he told a gathering in the state capital.
“I welcome all the criticism, no problem. Criticism increases the value of democracy. But some are doing it too much and these things won’t bother me. People have given us an opportunity and we want to serve them,” he added.
Home Minister G Parameshwara also raised concerns over the impact of public statements on the city’s infrastructure. “We are not saying don’t criticise, because they (industry leaders) have a role in alerting us. But they have to think about what will be its impact. What message will Dr Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw’s statement send in business and industry circles, that’s our concern,” he said, adding that the government is working on fixing the issues.
Earlier this week, Shaw reignited the debate over Bengaluru’s infrastructure by sharing a visiting overseas executive’s critical comments on the city’s roads and garbage. Her remarks prompted Shivakumar, who is also the minister in charge of Bengaluru development, to say the city deserves collective effort, not constant criticism.
On Saturday, Shivakumar said Shaw can build roads if she wishes to. “If she wants to develop them, let her do it. If she comes and asks, we will give her the roads,” he said.
He also alleged a “personal agenda” and said such criticisms by prominent figures such as Shaw were not raised during the previous Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government.
“They have this personal agenda… I wanted to ask them openly that at the time of the BJP agenda, why did they not open their mouth? It is their personal agenda… we will tackle all this,” he told news agency PTI.
Shaw refuted the allegations on Sunday. In a post on X, she said: “Not true. Both Mohandas Pai and I have criticised deteriorating infrastructure in our city to previous BJP and JDS Governments. Our agenda is clear – clean up and restore roads.”
Hours later, Shaw lauded Shivakumar over the state government’s efforts to construct a flyover to ease traffic along the Koramangala-Ejipura stretch.
“Visited the construction site of the Ejipura Flyover and I am happy to see that full-scale work has commenced. This elevated corridor is designed to ease traffic congestion along the Koramangala-Ejipura stretch. We are committed to completing the project by June 2026 and ensuring this vital link serves our residents without further delay,” the Deputy Chief Minister posted on X.
Shaw called it a “positive development”. “This is a positive development which will greatly relieve traffic congestion and has been 10 years in the making which previous BJP n JDS governments did not prioritise. Putting this on a priority track is a good move,” she said, tagging Shivakumar.
The tussle between the two sides broke out when Shaw on October 13 raised concerns over “poor roads” and the amount of garbage in Bengaluru.
In a post on X, Shaw wrote: “I had an overseas business visitor to Biocon Park who said, ‘Why are the roads so bad and why is there so much garbage around? Doesn’t the Govt want to support investment? I have just come from China and can’t understand why India can’t get its act together especially when the winds are favourable?'”
In response to the criticism, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge told ANI that the visitor may not have seen the complete picture, adding that infrastructure work in the city is progressing rapidly.
“I am not sure which part of Bengaluru they have seen. As I have said, the work is in progress. We are growing at a rapid pace, and whatever is necessary for the infrastructure improvement, we are doing it,” Kharge said.
Karnataka Minister MB Patil highlighted Shaw’s contributions to the state but said that her criticism was not in “good taste” since the development work is ongoing.