Comparing Hyderabad with Bengaluru a joke, says Karnataka CM in response to Telangana minister’s tweet
Bommai dismissed Rama Rao’s attempts to compare Bengaluru with Hyderabad as a ‘joke’ and said “not just India, people from across the world are coming to Bengaluru. The maximum number of start-ups is in Bengaluru…”
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Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai (File photo)Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai Tuesday hit back at Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao for suggesting that companies should quit Bengaluru and shift to Hyderabad.
Bommai dismissed Rama Rao’s attempts to compare Bengaluru with Hyderabad as a ‘joke’ and said “not just India, people from across the world are coming to Bengaluru. The maximum number of start-ups is in Bengaluru…”
Rama Rao had recently claimed that Hyderabad offers better infrastructure in comparison to Bengaluru. On March 31, responding to entrepreneur Ravish Naresh’s tweet complaining about Bengaluru’s infrastructure, Rama Rao had asked him to “Pack your bags & move to Hyderabad.”
“We have better physical infrastructure & equally good social infrastructure. Our airport is 1 of the best & getting in & out of (the) city is a breeze. More importantly our Govt’s focus is on 3 i Mantra; innovation, infrastructure & inclusive growth,” Rao had tweeted.
Naresh, the founder of the Bengaluru-based start-up Khatabook, had tweeted on April 1, “Start-ups in HSR/Koramangala (India’s Silicon Valley) are already generating billions of $ of taxes. Yet we have v bad roads, almost daily power cuts, poor quality water supply, unusable footpaths. Many rural areas now have better basic infra than India’s Silicon Valley.”
In response to Rama Rao’s tweet, Karnataka IT-BT and Higher Education Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan had earlier said that his state is “competing globally and not with the neighbouring states.”
“Bengaluru has built many unicorns and let Telangana focus on that. We are Indians first and not intolerant of the progress of our neighbouring states,” Narayan said on Sunday.
“I am not saying that the system is completely fool-proof but the Centre and the state are making all efforts to clear all the loopholes. The system is more accountable than ever,” he added.
Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar also responded to Rama Rao’s remark and tweeted: “My friend, I accept your challenge. By the end of 2023, with Congress back in power in Karnataka, we will restore the glory of Bengaluru as India’s best city.”
Shivakumar’s tweet elicited a counter tweet from Narayan, who said: “During your party’s (Congress) rule, let’s not forget Tech industry in the State had to time & again hammer that they were being ignored & there was no progress. Your party ensured Bengaluru was neglected for decades! One can’t expect anything more than petty politicking from @INCKarnataka!”
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