Hyderabad: Telangana Minister for IT and Industries KT Rama Rao (KTR) said that the ongoing hijab and halal issues in the neighbouring state of Karnataka are tarnishing India’s reputation.
In an interview with India Today, KTR said that though he loved the city of Bangalore as a child, it has now turned into a ‘hate hub’. “Bangalore, which has been an IT hub and called the Silicon Valley of India, is now turning into the hate hub of India, just because of the party which is in power in the state. It’s sad.”
He further added, “I am a huge fan of Bangalore and its ecosystem, and as a minister of Telangana, I am going to compete with Bangalore. Hopefully, we will beat Bangalore at some point.”
The minister said that he feels the ‘pain’ of a common man in this country when an IT hub like Bangalore is witnessing issues like halal, hijab and religion. He appealed to politicians in Karnataka, saying “If you want to win the election, then highlight progress, not Hijab.”
KTR has previously been vocal about his concern about Karnataka’s issues. “Let’s focus on infra, IT&BT, not on Halal & Hijab,” he tweeted last week, indirectly snubbing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, under which right-wing Hindu vigilante groups have stirring up communal trouble over the last few months.
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