Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on Tuesday met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D.K. Shivakumar amid a growing debate over whether Bengaluru’s infrastructure is hurting businesses.
"Good discussion about Bengaluru’s growth, innovation, and the way forward for Karnataka’s development story," Shivakumar posted on X.
The chief minister’s office called the meeting with Mazumdar-Shaw a “personal visit" and stated that she invited Siddaramaiah to a wedding in the family.
In a post on X a day before Diwali, Shaw quoted a post of Shivakumar in which he mentioned that the work on the elevated corridor of the Ejipura Flyover will be completed by June 2026.
The Biocon chief said it was indeed a positive development “which will greatly relieve traffic congestion and has been 10 years in the making which previous BJP and JDS governments did not prioritise. Putting this on a priority track is a good move DKShivakumar.”
The controversy over the city’s infrastructure started 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 Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar, and IT minister Priyank Kharge, triggered a debate over the city’s infrastructure and the government’s handling of civic issues.
Shaw detailed the foreign guest’s unpleasant experience on what she called pothole-ridden and garbage-strewn roads. The state administration defended the work carried out under the ruling Congress government.
Later, Shivakumar dismissed Shaw’s criticism of Bengaluru’s roads and infrastructure as “personal agenda” and questioned why such issues were not raised when the BJP was in power.
Shaw clarified that she had voiced similar concerns during both BJP and JD(S) governments as well. "Our agenda is simple, to clean up the roads and fix them," she had said.
Congress leader Mansoor Ali Khan too added that her outrage seemed selective, focusing only on Karnataka and not other states like Maharashtra. Shaw responded, saying she has a vested interest in her city and state, emphasising her plea is driven by civic concern, not politics.
The exchange between Shaw and Shivakumar comes amid growing public support for Shaw's stance. Residents have echoed her concerns, sharing their own experiences with poor roads and garbage issues.
Other prominent figures from India Inc, including former Infosys CFO TV Mohandas Pai, have been vocal about the worsening traffic situation and pothole-ridden roads in Bengaluru.
“Minister DK Shivakumar and Priyank Kharge, some feedback. This is not the result of growth but huge corruption and bad governance,” Mohandas wrote on X.
The former Infosys CFO pleaded for urgent action, saying, “Please help… can we have roads without potholes? This is not AI work but has been done for more than 200 years!”
Mohandas Pai shared the post while highlighting the troubles that people were coming out with on X.