Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has been highlighting Bengaluru’s garbage and pothole woes after a visitor from China expressed disappointment over the condition of the city. Her post started a war of words with the state administration on social media. When a Congress leader criticised her for showing selective outrage, highlighting problems in Karnataka while ignoring similar issues in BJP-ruled states, the Biocon boss responded that she lives in Karnataka, not Maharashtra, and therefore has a “vested interest” in Bengaluru.
‘Vested interested in Bengaluru’
“We welcome constructive criticism, it helps us improve. But it’s striking how Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw’s outrage is reserved only for Karnataka,” Congress leader Mansoor Khan said on X (formerly Twitter).
He added, “When similar issues arise in Maharashtra or under the BJP government, the blame conveniently shifts to contractors. Yet there’s silence on unfair GST policies, inequitable tax distribution, and when the BJP govt had halted the metro funding for two years,” before stressing, “Selective concern weakens credibility.”
She responded to this and wrote, “I live in Karnataka, not Maharashtra. I have a vested interest in my city and state.”
We welcome constructive criticism, it helps us improve. But it’s striking how @kiranshaw's outrage is reserved only for Karnataka. When similar issues arise in Maharashtra or under the @BJP4India Govt, the blame conveniently shifts to contractors. Yet there’s silence on unfair… https://t.co/p64MUyEovH
— Mansoor Khan (@MansoorKhanINC) October 15, 2025
‘Garbage is a serious malaise countrywide’
In a post on X today morning, she expressed that garbage is a “serious malaise countrywide” and that it shows that we as citizens “lack pride”.
“Garbage is a serious malaise countrywide and no municipality of big cities has managed to solve it. Indore and Surat seemed to have cracked it, but Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, etc haven’t,” she said on X.
The Biocon founder added, “Very, very pathetic, which shows citizens’ lack of civic sense and huge apathy by both citizens and administration. We lack pride.”
Garbage is a serious malaise countrywide n no municipality of big cities has managed to solve it. Indore n Surat seemed to have cracked it but mumbai delhi Bengaluru etc haven’t. Very very pathetic which shows citizens lack of civic sense n huge apathy by both citizens n… https://t.co/rpBf0rZlaL
— Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (@kiranshaw) October 16, 2025
Her post was in response to journalist Sucheta Dalal, who highlighted the garbage-strewn riverfront in Mumbai’s Bandra East.
While sharing the video, Dalal, with a dash of sarcasm, wrote, “Nobody thinks the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has any responsibility anymore?”
She even reposted a video from one of the social media handles showing garbage littered on the sides of a stretch of road, just a kilometre away from Manyata Tech Park. The social media user further claimed that the short stretch had as many as 10 potholes.
Review meeting with Chief engineers
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday announced that the government has set up the East Bengaluru Corporation to provide IT companies with better roads and improved traffic management.
IAS Maheshwar Rao shared that he held a review meeting with the Chief Engineers of all city corporations to identify the Top 100 Critical Roads across Bengaluru. The decisions taken in the meeting, he said, would further GBA’s citizen-centric vision for better, safer roads in Bengaluru.