B'luru vs Hyderabad; DK Shivakumar's challenge to KTR gets harsh reality check [details]

Twitter turned into a virtual battlefield for politicians, fighting over which city is better. Karnataka Congress Party President DK Shivakumar, Telangana Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development, K.T. Ramarao, in a duelling debate, took jibes at each other on proving the best place for startups - Bengaluru or Hyderabad.

Where it started?

Ravish Naresh, an entrepreneur from Bengaluru earlier stated that startups in HSR, Koramangala (India's Silicon Valley) are already generating billions of dollars of taxes. Yet we have bad roads, almost daily power cuts, poor quality of water supply, unusable footpaths. Many rural areas now have better basic infra than India's Silicon Valley. He further stated that also the airport is 3 hours away in peak traffic.

Responding to the tweet K.T. Ramarao, Minister in Telangana and son of Chief Minister K.C. Nageshwara Rao called on the entrepreneur to pack his bags and move to Hyderabad.

"We have better physical infrastructure and equally good social infrastructure. Our airport is one of the best and getting in and out of the city is a breeze," he said, adding that his government's focus is on "3 i Mantra" — innovation, infrastructure and inclusive growth.

DK Shivakumar joined the conversation, defending his home state. While reacting to KTR's tweet, Shivakumar also took a jibe at the ruling BJP government while assuring that Congress will be back in power in the state soon.

"K.T. Ramarao, 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," said Shivakumar on his social media handle.

Meanwhile, KTR responded with the context of ongoing hijab and halal controversies in the state. He tweeted: Dear DK Shivakumar 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."

DK gets reality check

The minister for IT/BT and S&T, Dr Ashwathnarayan, had earlier said that Karnataka competes globally and not with other states. Speaking to the media on KTR's open invitation to startups, he said: "We are all Indians first. We are not intolerant of the progress of our neighbouring states. In India, every state has its own uniqueness. We firmly believe in the entire India growing as one country. The Telangana minister had tweeted after a few startups and Bengaluru-based entrepreneurs had expressed dissatisfaction about the bad condition of roads in Bengaluru."

"Karnataka is currently known world over as a city of startups, innovation, science and technology. The city has not earned this fame overnight," he said.

Ashwathnarayan also didn't let DK Shivakumar's snide remark slide. He tweeted responding to DKS' tweet, and reminded "During your party's 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 Karnataka Congress."