BENGALURU: The recent letter from Karnataka Industries Minister RV Deshpande to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to grant Bengaluru the status of ‘second capital of India’ has drawn support from many entrepreneurs and urban experts from the city.
Former Infosys director and educationist Mohandas Pai, says, “I totally support the demand made by R V Deshpande. India is a big country, and it is good to have a second capital. Bengaluru is an ideal place as it has a decent infrastructure, good governance, is a globally-recognised city, and also witnesses a large overseas crowd.”
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CMD, Biocon, says, “For a country as vast and ethnically diverse, it does make a compelling case to create a southern capital for all the reasons that RV Deshpande has outlined. However, it is a complex task as it will require duplication of many governance institutions as suggested by
Deshpande. Currently, the south feels alienated when it comes to redressal of issues, the dual centres can ease the burden of governance that can lead to greater expediency and efficiency. We must, however, ensure that both centres have countrywide representation. Worth evaluating and implementing over the next 5 years.”
Though urban expert Ravichandar says there are lot of benefits to getting the capital status, he says he has mixed feelings about this. “To have a Supreme Court seat, parliament for winter session is something good. But the question that arises is does Bengaluru have infrastructure to facilitate the requirements to be the second capital of the country?”
Besides, the demand, Ravichandar says that there is a feeling among south Indians that they are being neglected. “The decisions and policies made are north/Delhi-centric. To have a second capital in south India will benefit and will bring inclusiveness,” he adds.
Indian Institute of Management director G Raghuram says, “I would not want to comment whether India should have a second capital. And we also have to look at what cost it will be. But if the government wants to have second capital, I strongly feel Bengaluru is the ideal place. The city has got global recognition in many ways, and also houses many research institutes in various sectors. This will also help in drawing attention to develop infrastructure better.”
MG Kumar, supreme court advocate, says, “Declaring Bengaluru as second capital is a good idea. There is no provision in the constitution to have a second capital, but it can be amended if there is political will. Having a Supreme Court seat in Bengaluru will help many litigants where they shell out more money to come to Delhi and pay hefty fees, also, having another UPSC office will help. But a session in Bengaluru will cause huge losses to exchequer. We have an example in the state where a lot of money is invested to hold sessions in Belagavi, but nothing really comes out of it.”
Why should Bengaluru be the second capital?
In his letter, R V Deshpande says Bengaluru is cosmopolitan city, and houses people with many different languages. It is probably the only city in the country where you can manage knowing any one Indian language. It is a hub for industrial development, information technology and biotechnology. It is also away from natural calamities and extreme weather conditions.
What is the demand in the letter?
Establish second seat of Supreme Court, second office of Union Public Service Commission, and hold winter sessions of parliament in Bengaluru.
What the Express polls says
In a poll conducted by Express on Twitter, 64% of Twitteratis said that they wanted Bengaluru to be declared as the second capital of India, while 36% said ‘no.’
“They (south Indians) will finally come to know that the nation is not a distant rumour of intrigue carried out in the corridors of power in Delhi, but that a nation is a daily plebiscite, a daily ritual and a daily festival of citizenship and development. It is my strong belief that you can resonate with this national aspiration and desire too.”
- R V Deshpande in the letter