In a friendly conversation, Telangana IT Minister Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao on Twitter challenged Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar asking him to hold a healthy competition between the IT hubs of Hyderabad and Bengaluru, and not communal divide.
Popularly known as KTR, the Telangana minister was referring to the recent row over the Muslim women students’ right to wear hijab and a proposed boycott of halal meat in Karnataka.
The remark came after Biocon executive chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw requested Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to “resolve communal divide” in the state for the benefit of ITBT (Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science and Technology) sector.
To this the Tech minister of Telangana responded saying, “”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.” Following which a response by DK Shivakumar on Sunday asserted that Congress would come back to power in Karnataka and make Bengaluru India’s best city.
Meanwhile, Congress in Karnataka is up for a challenge in 2024 elections, the BJP seems to have benefited from a three-month-long row over the wearing of hijab in classrooms. Hindu right-wing groups have also been demanding a boycott of halal meat and other products in the state, where communal tensions remain high.