Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar strongly defended Bengaluru’s position as India’s unmatched tech and innovation hub on Wednesday, retorting to jibes from Andhra IT Minister Nara Lokesh and criticism from industrialist Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.

Speaking to reporters at the Vidhana Soudha, DCM Shivakumar said there is no city in the country comparable to Bengaluru in infrastructure, human resources, startups and research. “Others talk about Bengaluru to market themselves. Let them do their marketing — but no city can match Bengaluru,” he said, pointing to the city’s two-and-a-half lakh IT professionals and about two lakh foreign nationals working here.

Shivakumar stressed Bengaluru’s economic contribution to the nation — claiming around 40% of central tax revenue originates here — and argued that the city’s growth has enabled multinational companies to move from rented offices to buying their own campuses. He said such corporate choices are proof of Bengaluru’s strengths.

Responding to Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw’s tweets criticizing the city’s infrastructure, Shivakumar accused the critic of acting against the city’s interests. “If tweeting and threatening us is their main job, let them do it,” he said sharply, asking rhetorically where such critics were during the last 25 years of Bengaluru’s rise. He reminded that the city has offered opportunities and support to many who now criticize it.

On potholes and road repairs, Shivakumar said the government is working to fix problems as resources and circumstances allow. He cited administrative steps — such as creating separate municipal bodies for Mahadevapura and KR Puram wards — to channel local revenues for targeted development. He also urged citizens to cooperate by not littering, countering suggestions that infrastructure problems are only the government’s responsibility.

When asked about Andhra’s efforts to woo companies — including the Google AI hub reported in Andhra — Shivakumar was measured: “If enterprises choose to go, they can. If they find better incentives there, so be it. We do not stop anyone.” He reiterated that Bengaluru will continue to attract investments because of its existing ecosystem and facilities.

On allegations about distribution of state grants raised in court by some JD(S) MLAs, Shivakumar said the Chief Minister will respond and defended the state’s approach, asserting the government has shown largesse rather than cruelty in allocations. Overall, Shivakumar’s remarks signaled a firm pushback against external criticism while defending the state government’s development strategy and Bengaluru’s long-established primacy in India’s technology and investment landscape.