Attempts to disturb the communal harmony of Hyderabad for an election is a cardinal sin, said Telangana Minister for Industry and Information Technology KT Rama Rao on Sunday. His comment comes in the backdrop of election campaigning for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal elections (GHMC) on December 1.
An ongoing war of words between the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as part of the campaigning, has seen both parties file complaints against each other with the State Election Commission. The TRS has accused the BJP of giving a communal tone to the local elections as party state president Bandi Sanjay claimed that Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had “links to terror outfits” and needed to be investigated for his association with Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM.
KTR shared his thoughts on Hyderabad's global image, inclusive growth, IT ecosystem and future plans for the city with Bharani Kumar Aroll, President, Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association (HYSEA), at Brand Hyderabad Future Ready session.
"Elections will come and go but what culture we are promoting is important. Trying to disturb the communal harmony of Hyderabad for an election is a cardinal sin. To stall the growth trajectory of the city is idiocy," he said, hinting at the BJP’s election rhetoric.
KTR said that the TRS government treats everyone equally. Noting that great cities are built with great governance, he said that delivering promises without any discrimination helped Hyderabad remain an investment magnet. He stated that Telangana is India's most successful startup state. “We fought hard for the state and have delivered on many counts,” he said.
"Hyderabad continues to attract people from across the world. Blessed with some natural advantages to it, the city just needs a progressive government as the enabler," KTR added.
He highlighted that the top five most valued companies like Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft have already made Hyderabad their second home. "The government has been an enabler and facilitator. Also, credit to the young talent pool available here," he said.
KTR stated that other than IT and life sciences in which Telangana will continue to be leader, "We are excited and looking forward to the electronics, E-vehicles, textiles and logistics sector in the next decade."
Talking about various development works in Hyderabad, KTR said with Strategic Road Development Programme (SRDP), link roads, Comprehensive Road Management Programme, city's road infrastructure has been improving.
Referring to last month's floods, he said the city's sewerage system couldn't handle the cloudburst, which was the highest since 1916. He promised that with the Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP), such a situation won't occur in Hyderabad again.