‘Don’t taunt me as a billionaire’: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw to MLA over Bengaluru roads

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, the founder of Biocon, has responded to Karnataka Congress MLA B Shivanna after he criticized her for speaking over Bengaluru’s poor roads. The disagreement started when Mazumdar-Shaw highlighted the poor condition of roads in Anekal, a city on the outskirts of Bengaluru, where residents have been raising concerns for years.

She stated that she was speaking on behalf of citizens who have no voice and had asked her to raise the issue. Despite her remarks, Shivanna pushed back, suggesting that the companies operating in the area should contribute towards fixing the infrastructure through their CSR funds. Mazumdar-Shaw responded, clarifying that she was not targeting billionaires and that she lived in the area and could attest to the road's condition being impassable.

The exchange has sparked a debate on social media, with many users backing Mazumdar-Shaw and questioning elected representatives' accountability in providing basic civic infrastructure.