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All is well now? What led to Biocon boss Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw vs DK Shivakumar feud
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw met Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, signaling reduced tensions after recent criticism of Bengaluru's infrastructure.
Days after a public spat over Bengaluru’s crumbling infrastructure, Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw met Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah and deputy CM DK Shivakumar on Tuesday, signalling a possible thaw in tensions.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw met the chief minister at his official residence, Cauvery, to extend Diwali greetings. “Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw visited Cauvery and wished Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Diwali. Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti was present on the occasion,” the CM’s office said in a statement.
Later, Shaw met deputy CM DK Shivakumar at his Sadashivanagar residence, where, according to the deputy CM’s office, the two discussed “Bengaluru’s growth, innovation, and the path ahead for Karnataka’s growth story.”
Shivakumar also posted on X, “It was a pleasure to meet Ms. @kiranshaw, entrepreneur and Founder of Biocon, at my residence today. We had an engaging discussion on Bengaluru's growth, innovation, and the path ahead for Karnataka's growth story.”
What led to the feud
The meeting comes after days of friction between the two, following Shaw’s repeated criticism of Bengaluru’s infrastructure woes, particularly the city’s poor roads, traffic congestion, and garbage mismanagement.
In a recent post on X, Shaw shared an incident involving a foreign business visitor to Biocon Park, who questioned the state of the city’s infrastructure.
“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?’” Shaw posted, adding that such conditions could hurt Bengaluru’s reputation as a global tech hub.
Shivakumar’s sharp response
In response, Shivakumar, who also oversees Bengaluru development, retorted that Shaw was welcome to take up the job herself.
“If she wants to develop them (roads), let her do it. If she comes and asks, we will give her the roads,” he said during his “Bengaluru Nadige” (Walk for Bengaluru) programme in KR Puram.
Days later, Shivakumar accused some Bengaluru-based industrialists, including Shaw and former Infosys CFO TV Mohandas Pai, of having a “personal agenda” and of not raising similar concerns during the previous Bharatiya Janata Party regime.
“Some of the industrialists who owe their success to Bengaluru are today criticising the city. They are forgetting their humble beginnings and how Bengaluru helped them grow,” he said, urging them not to “forget their roots.”
Shaw hits back
Rejecting the allegation, Shaw posted, “Not true. Both T V Mohandas Pai and I have criticised deteriorating infrastructure in our city under previous BJP & JDS governments. Our agenda is clear — clean up and restore roads.”
The exchange underscored growing frustration among industry leaders over Bengaluru’s civic decline, which they fear could threaten investments and the city’s global image. Shaw and Pai have long been vocal about potholes, flooding, and traffic gridlocks in India’s tech capital.
