Former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai has on Monday slammed Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, questioning their handling of Bengaluru’s worsening infrastructure and lack of basic civic amenities.
Reacting to Kharge’s post highlighting Bengaluru’s achievements — including its status as India’s top startup hub, AI innovation center, and IT export contributor — Pai fired back, demanding to know what the government has done to improve daily life for residents. "Minister Priyank Kharge, we know all this, but tell us—what have you done as our Minister to improve our lives?" he asked.
Accusing the government of neglecting basic urban maintenance, Pai said, "You have not even ensured the city is clean with no potholes and good footpaths! This is not rocket science but regular maintenance work." He urged Kharge to "talk to Minister DK Shivakumar to give us at least a clean walkable city!" and added, "Is this too much to ask? Our lives have become more miserable over the last 2 years!"
This isn’t the first time Pai has criticised the state government's urban planning failures. Earlier, he had directly called out DK Shivakumar, saying, "Minister @DKShivakumar, it has been 2 years since you became our Minister! We applauded and welcomed you as a strong Minister. But our lives have become much worse!"
Questioning the long delays in major projects, Pai asked why Bengaluru's footpaths, roads, and public transport remain in poor condition while large-scale projects are announced but never completed on time. "Why cannot you ensure a clean walkable city urgently, with good footpaths? Why cannot you purchase 5,000 new EV buses urgently to improve public transport?" he wrote.
His criticism also extended to the Bangalore Metro, where he questioned why BMRCL wasn’t working round the clock to complete pending work. Pointing out the recent metro fare hike, he noted that ridership had dropped by one lakh commuters, calling it another misstep in city planning.
The Karnataka government, particularly Shivakumar, has promoted initiatives like the Namma Raste campaign, aimed at making Bengaluru more pedestrian-friendly with cycling lanes and green spaces. However, Pai sees these projects as mere optics while basic infrastructure continues to deteriorate.