‘I am a proud Kannadiga’: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw shuts down trolls

Billionaire entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw - who has been vocal about the poor condition of roads and the increasing number of garbage spots - has hit back at trolls who questioned her Kannadiga roots.

While a few critics dug up an earlier post in which she claimed she was a Gujarati, others including civic groups and industry leaders voiced their support for her contributions to the state. 

“I was born in this city and have spent seven decades loving my city, my Kannada culture, and can read, write, and speak this wonderful language. I don’t think I am answerable to anyone who questions my loyalty
to Karnataka. I am a proud Kannadiga,” said Shaw, who is also the founder of the pharmaceutical company Biocon.

Many netizens hailed her contributions to Karnataka, and particularly to Bengaluru, urging her not to respond to trolls.

“A leading industrialist whose entrepreneurial spirit has generated scores of high-paying jobs in the state and nation is having to justify questioning the breakdown in civic governance. Shame on the muckrakers. Ignore the pots calling the kettle black,” one such
post read.

Citizens Agenda for Bengaluru, a civic group, said Kiran Mazumdar has every right to ask questions of the government, just as every other resident of the city.

“We applaud anyone who raises their voice for our dear city, and engages with the city’s governance. The Government is the citizens’ servant, not the other way around. But we’d certainly appreciate it if people of her stature not waste the clout they have in asking for superficial asks, and they employ their considerable influence to demand Systemic Reform, Constitutionality, Transparency, Accountability, Rule of Law, Masterplanning, etc.,” the group said. 

In another post, she clarified that she never made an
offer to fund road repair works in Bengaluru and questioned the source of reports claiming that she had offered to repair roads.