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A social media post by Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw criticising Bengaluru’s civic infrastructure has drawn sharp reactions from senior ministers in the Karnataka government, who urged her to show restraint and work with them to improve the city instead of repeatedly flagging its shortcomings online.
On October 13, Kiran shared on X that a visiting foreign business executive to Biocon had questioned the state of Bengaluru’s roads and garbage management. According to her post, the visitor had asked, “Why are the roads so bad and why is there so much garbage around? Doesn’t the government 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.”
Kiran’s post, which tagged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and Information Technology (IT) and Biotechnology (BT) Minister Priyank Kharge, reignited debate over the city’s crumbling infrastructure and the government’s handling of civic issues.
Responding on X, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar called for “collective effort, not constant criticism.” He wrote: “Bengaluru has given opportunities, identity, and success to millions — it deserves collective effort, not constant criticism. Yes, challenges exist, but we’re addressing them with focus and urgency.” He added that major development works are underway in the city and said, “Instead of tearing Bengaluru down, let’s build it together.
Labour Minister Santosh Lad also reacted sharply, saying, “Even if you become Chief Minister, you cannot fix potholes overnight. We accept there are problems, and we are working on them. You need to wait till they are completed and then question us. Let Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw tweet about GST or the Union government. Why doesn’t she question them? She is scared.”
Santosh added that the Congress government welcomed criticism as part of democracy, but questioned why Kiran did not hold the Union government equally accountable. “In the last 11 years has the Union government done everything right? Have they not made any mistakes? PM Modi has grown to such a level that there is no space for youth leaders, anyone in the BJP or the country to criticise him,” he said.
IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge also acknowledged the city’s problems but said the government was committed to addressing them. “Every developing city, whether San Francisco, London, or Bengaluru, faces challenges. It is the government’s responsibility to overcome them, and we will do it,” he said.
Defending the government’s openness to criticism, Priyank added, “Here in Karnataka, we take such comments constructively. In other states, people are jailed or trolled for similar criticism. We will respond positively and work on it.”
Industries Minister MB Patil said that while Kiran is a “big asset” to the state and the country, her repeated criticism was “not in good taste” when development work was already underway. “Thousands of crores have been allocated, and the work is ongoing. She knows pothole repairs worth Rs 1,000 crore are being done. So what was the need to tweet again? What is the purpose behind repeating these things?” he asked. Patil also urged her to contribute under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives in her area, adding that the Congress government had inherited many of these issues from the previous BJP regime.