'Don't Harm City That Helped You Grow': DK Shivakumar Responds To Kiran Shaw's Criticism

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday accused Biocon Chairman Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of “damaging” the image of Karnataka and the country by repeatedly raising concerns over the IT hub’s infrastructure.

Taking to the social media platform X on Tuesday, Mazumdar-Shaw wrote, “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 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.”

The post immediately went viral, with hundreds of netizens criticising the state government over bad roads and traffic snarls.

In response, Shivakumar took a defensive stance, saying, “Karnataka is not China. In China, the government is free to dig or lay roads according to its whims and fancies. We cannot do so here.”

The deputy CM asserted that the company (Biocon) should stop “hurting the city and the state that have contributed to their growth.” He also challenged them to publicly disclose the projects they have undertaken under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

“Will they (Shaw) give their land for road widening? Nobody will. One should not forget where they worked and who helped them grow,” he said. “Let them tell people what they are doing with their CSR funds. If they think blaming and threatening the government is a priority to them, it is left to them.”

Shivakumar also accused Shaw of bringing a bad name to the state and the country. “She is betraying herself and the city through her criticism of the city. Where was she for the last 25 years? Bengaluru has contributed immensely to her growth. Bengaluru is a city that employs lakhs of people and helps industrialists grow bigger and bigger. The critics should remember how much land the successive governments have given to them,” he said.

Stating that the government has been doing everything possible to address infrastructure issues, Shivakumar asked Shaw and the business community to have patience. “I am not going to question their rights. But I want them to be patient, as the government is making every possible effort to improve roads and solve garbage problems,” he said.

'Other states use Bengaluru to market themselves'

Hitting at Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh for repeatedly inviting Bengaluru-based IT companies to relocate to Vizag, Shivakumar said some people talk about Bengaluru and its infrastructure to market themselves. “But there is no other city in the country that matches Bengaluru in terms of its infrastructure, human resources, startups and innovations,” he said.

There are about 25 lakh IT professionals and over two lakh foreign nationals working in Bengaluru. The city's contribution to the country's growth is immense. About 40% of India's tax revenue comes from Bengaluru. “Let others talk about Bengaluru. Let the Centre help them, either. But no city can match Bengaluru,” he said.

He said several multinational companies which used to operate from rented premises till now are planning to own premises, especially after the developments related to US tariffs. "This is the strength of Bengaluru,” he said.

Andhra luring Google to set up an AI hub

Karnataka IT & BT Minister Priyank Kharge said that the Andhra Pradesh government has given a whopping Rs 22,000 crore in incentives, a 25% subsidy on land and water tariffs, free electricity and transmission and 100% reimbursement of State GST to Google to set up its AI hub in Visakhapatnam.

He was reacting to criticism by the State BJP and JDS that the Karnataka Government's inaction helped AP land the prestigious investment.

“I really don't know if Andhra Pradesh can afford this economic disaster. The opposition parties never tell you about these incentives. If we had given such incentives, they would have accused our government of taking the state towards bankruptcy. They are criticising for the sake of criticising. Most importantly, we were not in talks with Google. So the question of losing an AI hub does not arise at all,” he said.

Further, he said no state can match Karnataka's strides in IT, AI and allied sectors. “We are number 5 in the world when it comes to AI. We have the fourth-largest technology cluster in the world. Our IT services exports stand at Rs 4.5 lakh crores, while Telangana's exports stand at just Rs 2 lakh crore,” he added.

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