‘City has given back to her’: Karnataka ministers respond to Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw’s poor infrastructure remarks

Senior Karnataka Congress leaders Priyank Kharge and M.B. Patil have responded sharply to Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw’s recent comments on Bengaluru’s poor infrastructure, which sparked a debate on social media.

Mazumdar-Shaw, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, said an overseas business visitor to Biocon Park had questioned her about the city’s bad roads and garbage problem. She quoted the visitor as saying, “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.”

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 cant understand why India can’t get its act together especially when the…

— Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (@kiranshaw) October 13, 2025

Reacting to her remarks, Priyank Kharge, Karnataka’s Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, told ANI, “It depends on which part of Bengaluru they have seen. We are growing at a rapid pace, and whatever is necessary for infrastructure improvement, we are doing it.”

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Meanwhile, MB Patil, the state’s Minister for Large and Medium Industries, described Mazumdar-Shaw as a “big asset to the state and the country”, acknowledging her contribution to Bengaluru’s reputation through Biocon. However, he added that “the city has also given back to her” and said that tweeting about civic issues while infrastructure work is underway “is not in good taste.”

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Last week, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also addressed criticism over Bengaluru’s civic conditions, saying he had “moved heaven and earth” to fix the city’s garbage problem. Comparing traffic congestion to global metros, he added, “Even in London, people travel for three hours if they don’t use public transport. Bengaluru is making more noise than Mumbai, Chennai or Hyderabad.”