Santosh Lad and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
Credit: DH File Photos
A social media post by Biocon Chairperson and Managing Director Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw criticising Bengaluru’s civic infrastructure has drawn sharp reactions from senior Ministers in Karnataka. While stating that there are problems and that the government is working on them, Labour Minister Santosh Lad has asked Shaw to be patient, and challenged her to post about GST or the Union government.
Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Bengaluru Development D K Shivakumar, who had responded to the post calling for “collective effort, not constant criticism”, on Wednesday said sought to remind such industry leaders not to forget their roots and how Bengaluru and Karnataka have contributed to their success so far.
On October 13, Shaw shared on X that a visiting foreign business executive to Biocon had questioned the state of Bengaluru’s roads and garbage management. The post, which tagged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar, and IT and BT Minister Priyank Kharge, triggered yet another debate over the city’s infrastructure and the government’s handling of civic issues.
Reacting sharply to the post, the Labour Minister told reporters, “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.”
Stating that the Congress government welcomed criticism as part of democracy, Lad questioned why Shaw 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? Prime Minister Narendra 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.
Responding to Shaw's post, Shivakumar 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 infrastructure works are underway to make Bengaluru more globally competitive, and said, “Instead of tearing Bengaluru down, let’s build it together."
Responding to Lad's comments, Shaw on Wednesday said Ministers need to be held responsible and accountable for shoddy and slow work. "All I am seeking is garbage clearance and road resurfacing which ought to be done by the GBA. Govt Ministers need to hold them responsible n accountable for shoddy and slow work. Here Govt n Citizens need to be on the same page...(sic)," she said in a post.
In another post, she said the present situation was because of the past governments' failure and the present one had the chance to change this and act fast.
"We are in this dire situation because of past Govts failure to act in time. This Government has the opportunity to change this n act fast to fix these decades of deteriorating infrastructure n garbage management (sic)," she said.