RPG Enterprises Chairman Harsh Goenka has criticised Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar after the minister targeted Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw for raising concerns about Bengaluru’s infrastructure. Goenka, in a post on X on Sunday, described the political reaction as “unfortunate.”
Goenka Condemns Politicians’ “Thin-Skinned” Reaction
“When Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw spoke up about Bengaluru’s crumbling infrastructure, instead of fixing it, they turned it into politics. Now they’ll pressurize her to post ‘positive tweets.’ So typical – attack the critic, not the problem,” he wrote. Goenka’s remarks came in response to Mazumdar-Shaw’s criticism of Shivakumar’s handling of the issue.
Shivakumar Accuses Mazumdar-Shaw and Mohandas Pai of Personal Agenda
The senior Congress leader, responsible for Bengaluru’s development, had said on Saturday that Mazumdar-Shaw and former Infosys CFO TV Mohandas Pai “have some personal agenda.” He added, “I tell them openly, ‘Why didn’t they open their mouths during the BJP regime?’ They have a personal agenda. We will tackle it.”
Mazumdar-Shaw rejected Shivakumar’s claim, writing on X, “Not true. Both TV Mohandas Pai and I have criticised deteriorating infrastructure in our city during previous BJP & JDS Governments. Our agenda is clear. Clean up and restore roads.”
Shivakumar later defended his remarks while addressing Bengaluru’s growing population and rising vehicle registration numbers. “The population in Bengaluru city is 1.40 crore. Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy was saying that 3,000 vehicles are getting registered per day. 1.23 crore vehicles are registered in Bengaluru. 70 lakh people come to Bengaluru for jobs, education and other things, some go back. Population is increasing,” he said.
He also criticised some business leaders for forgetting their roots after achieving success: “Those who have started businesses here have grown. After growing big, they have forgotten from what stage they have grown into what stage now. If you forget the root, you will not get the fruit. Some have forgotten and are criticising by tweeting.”
Shivakumar highlighted the government’s “fix my pothole” campaign and added, “I welcome all the criticism, no problem. Because criticism increases the value of democracy. But some are doing it too much, and these things won’t bother me. People have given us an opportunity, and we want to serve them.”