Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on Wednesday dismissed media reports claiming that she had offered to personally fund road repair and development works in Bengaluru. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the business leader said she was “watching with amusement” how news outlets had distorted her remarks.
“I am watching with amusement how media fabricates news. Pls ask them to share their source of this info of my offer to repair roads,” Shaw posted on X.
P Chidambaram Reacts to “Reported” Offer
The clarification came after senior Congress leader P Chidambaram had earlier weighed in on reports suggesting that Mazumdar-Shaw had proposed to fund Bengaluru’s road development. In his post on X, Chidambaram called the idea “great” but said the real issue was not funding, but execution.
In a detailed post on X (formerly Twitter), he elaborated on how the Karnataka government could refine Shaw’s proposal.
“Governments can tweak Mrs Shaw’s idea: Public money, tender, etc. can be followed to select the contractor. After selection, the contractor will be placed under the supervision of a willing company or industrialist like Mrs Shaw,” Chidambaram wrote.
I noted with interest Mrs Kiran Mazumdar Shaw’s offer to fund the development of some roads in Bengaluru. A great offer! Congratulations!
BUT, the problem with our public works is not the lack of public money; the problem is in the execution of the public work
Governments can…
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) October 22, 2025
He further explained that the supervising company would be responsible for ensuring quality, adding that any penalties or cost overruns would be borne by them.
“Any penalties or cost-overruns will be borne by the supervising company or industrialist. Chennai or Bengaluru will be an appropriate place to experiment the idea,” the Congress leader said.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw’s Criticism of City Infrastructure
Mazumdar-Shaw has been among Bengaluru’s most vocal industry figures highlighting the city’s civic challenges, including pothole-ridden roads, traffic congestion, and poor waste management. In a recent post on X, she shared that a foreign visitor to Biocon Park had questioned the deteriorating condition of the city’s roads and garbage disposal systems.
Her remarks drew a strong response from Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who said Shaw was welcome to take up the work 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.
Diwali Meeting Marks Thaw in Tensions
Despite their earlier disagreements, Mazumdar-Shaw and Shivakumar appeared to have resolved differences during Diwali, when the two met to discuss Bengaluru’s growth and Karnataka’s broader development plans.
Biocon in a statement said Shaw met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM Shivakumar to convey Diwali greetings and express the industry’s readiness to cooperate in the city’s development.
Shivakumar later told reporters that Shaw had assured “cooperation and support of the industry for the development of Bengaluru.”
“Of course, they (industry leaders) have agreed that they are going to cooperate with the development of Bengaluru and they will not hurt Bengaluru. They will support the system,” the Deputy Chief Minister said.
State Government Faces Industry Pressure
The Karnataka government has been under sustained pressure over poor road conditions and worsening traffic, with business veterans such as former Infosys CFO T V Mohandas Pai and Mazumdar-Shaw consistently urging immediate intervention.
In recent remarks, Shivakumar appealed to corporate leaders not to “hurt” Bengaluru or Karnataka, saying the state was already working to resolve civic issues. He also stressed that there were “limitations for everything” and reminded industry figures “not to forget their roots — Bengaluru, Karnataka, and its people.”
When accused of alleging that Shaw and Pai had a personal agenda, the Biocon chairperson responded sharply on X: “Not true. Both T V Mohandas Pai and I have criticised deteriorating infrastructure in our city to previous BJP & JDS Governments. Our agenda is clear, clean up and restore roads.”
Mazumdar-Shaw also met senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa at his residence, and later called on BJP MLA and former Deputy CM C N Ashwath Narayan.
“It was a pleasure to receive Ms. Kiran Shaw, Founder & Executive Chairperson of Biocon, at my residence today. She visited to invite me to a family function, and I congratulated her on being ranked the 3rd richest woman in the world,” Narayan posted on X.
