BENGALURU: Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao’s invitation to startups complaining about poor infrastructure in Bengaluru to shift to Hyderabad, has triggered a spat between the Opposition Congress and ruling BJP over infrastructure in the state capital. While KPCC president DK Shivakumar said the Congress will be back in power after the assembly elections and will restore the glory of Bengaluru, the BJP hit back at Rama Rao and Shivakumar by stating, “In 2023, both of you friends can pack up and move to any place you like.”
As the debate on Bengaluru’s infrastructure, especially roads, continues to dominate social media, Shivakumar stated, “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.” It was in response to Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao’s invitation to startups to move to Hyderabad, which was first reported by TNIE.
This provoked the BJP Karnataka’s official handle to tweet that the “double engine governments of BJP” will not only continue to restore glory to Karnataka but will also take on Telangana on the superhighway of progress and prosperity. IT-BT and Higher Education Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan questioned Shivakumar, “What is your adjustment with Telangana Government. Do not put State’s honour in question for your political gimmicks.’’
It all started with Ravish Naresh, founder of a startup in Bengaluru, tweeting about bad roads, frequent power cuts, poor quality water supply and unusable footpaths at Koramangala. Offering him space, Rama Rao urged him to pack his bags and move to Hyderabad as their government provides better infrastructure. “We have better physical infrastructure and equally good social infrastructure. Our airport is one of the best and getting in and out of city is a breeze. More importantly our Government’s focus is on 3i mantra: innovation, infrastructure and inclusive growth.”
Later in the day, Ashwath Narayan said Karnataka competes globally, not with neighbouring states. “It is very much evident that Bengaluru’s fame is not dependent only on its roads... Our focus is to collaborate and compete at a global level. Unfortunately, some States are piggybacking on our journey in the name of ‘healthy competition’. We are on a marathon mission of building an AatmaNirbharBharat,” he tweeted.
His colleague Dr Sudhakar hit back too with at tweet, “Our competition is with the likes of Silicon Valley, Singapore, and Tel Aviv. We in Bangalore are proud hosts to people from multiple states and countries.”