A startup founder’s social media post about Bengaluru’s poor infrastructure and roads found several users agreeing with him. But his post also caught the attention of Telangana I-T and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao, who advised him to simply move to Hyderabad instead.
Ravish Naresh, the founder of the Bengaluru-based startup Khatabook, took to Twitter on Friday, April 1, to complain about lack of facilities in the city despite being dubbed India’s Silicon Valley. "Startups in HSR/Koramangala (India's Silicon 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. Many rural areas now have better basic infra than India's Silicon Valley," he tweeted. "Also the nearest airport is 3hrs away in peak traffic," added Naresh, who tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP's Karnataka unit and MP Tejasvi Surya, seeking their help.
To this, KT Rama Rao or KTR as he is popularly known, replied that Hyderabad does not face these problems. "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," KTR tweeted.
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
— KTR (@KTRTRS) March 31, 2022
More importantly our Govt’s focus is on 3 i Mantra; innovation, infrastructure & inclusive growth https://t.co/RPVALrl0QB
This is not the first time that KTR has taken a jibe at Bengaluru and claimed that Hyderabad had better facilities. In December 2021, after comedians Munawar Faruqui and Kunal kamra’s stand-up shows were cancelled in Bengaluru due to “security reasons”, KTR had invited him to perform in Hyderabad instead. “In our city, stand-up comedians get an open invite. We don’t cancel shows of Munawar Faruqui and Kunal Kamra just because we are not aligned with them politically,” KTR had said.
Taking a pot-shot at Bengaluru, he added, “I am just saying that to people listening from Bengaluru or those people who are from Bengaluru, you claim to be a cosmopolitan city, and then you end up taking comedy very seriously. We (Hyderabad) are a truly cosmopolitan city who are welcoming of all cultures, welcoming of criticism. You can come here, criticise the government… in fact, we receive a lot of brickbats from our opposition every day. We are very tolerant,” he said.
Munawar Faruqui had taken up the minister’s offer and announced a show in Hyderabad in January, as the third wave of the pandemic was beginning. However, after this became a political flashpoint in the state, the show was cancelled citing COVID-19 restrictions.