Bengaluru: Deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru development portfolio, struck a defiant note on Thursday amid corporate criticism of the city’s crumbling infrastructure, saying companies threatening to move out will not sway the government.
“No one can threaten or blackmail the government. I will not stop anyone from going,” he told reporters.
His remarks came after logistics platform BlackBuck announced it was relocating from Bellandur (Outer Ring Road) after nine years, citing poor road conditions. Start-up leaders and corporate executives have also voiced frustration over the state of infrastructure along the ORR–Mahadevapura tech corridor.
The debate escalated when Andhra Pradesh IT minister Nara Lokesh invited BlackBuck co-founder Rajesh Yabaji to shift operations to Visakhapatnam, contrasting his state’s approach with Karnataka’s. Lokesh posted on X: “We don’t dismiss genuine grievances as ‘blackmail.’ We treat them with dignity and seriousness.”
Govt restructuring, challenges in Mahadevapura
Shivakumar maintained that Bengaluru’s talent and ecosystem remain unmatched. He cited the government’s restructuring of civic governance through the newly established Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), splitting the city into five corporations across 198 wards to tackle population pressures.
Admitting Mahadevapura faces unique hurdles, he noted: “Some localities fall under corporation limits, others don’t. Constituencies now have three times the population they once did, and ward sizes have been increased accordingly.”
BlackBuck later clarified it was relocating within Bengaluru for easier employee commutes, not exiting the city altogether.
Political sparring
Shivakumar also turned his fire on the BJP, questioning why opposition MPs and the MLA representing Mahadevapura had not secured central funds for Bengaluru. He added that pothole repairs near Vidhana Soudha were underway.
“Just because people tweet about it, we cannot stop our work. Why is Bengaluru being singled out?” he asked.
