HYDERABAD: Responding to a tweet by Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao on March 31 asking a start-up company to shift its base from Karnataka to Telangana, Karnataka PCC president and Kanakapura MLA DK Shivakumar said he would accept the challenge and develop Bengaluru once the Congress is back in power after 2023 Assembly elections.
Shivakumar tweeted on Monday: "@ktrtrs, 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".
Reacting to this, Rama Rao tweeted: "Dear @DKShivakumar Anna, I don’t know much about politics of Karnataka & who will win but challenge accepted. Let Hyderabad & Bengaluru compete healthily on creating jobs for our youngsters & prosperity for our great nation. Let’s focus on infra, IT&BT, not on Halal & Hijab". (sic)
It may be recalled that on March 30, an IT employee tweeted complaining about irregular power supply and other problems being faced by a start-up in Bengaluru. "Startups in HSR/Koramangala (India's Sillicon Valley) are already generating billions of $ of taxes. Yet we have v bad roads, almost daily power cuts, poor quality water supply, unusable foot paths".
On the following day, Rama Rao replied: "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 city is a breeze. More importantly our Govt’s focus is on 3 i Mantra; innovation, infrastructure & inclusive growth" (sic).