Hyderabad: Telangana minister for IT and industries KT Rama Rao (KTR) on Monday said that the city and Bengaluru should compete healthily on creating jobs for youngsters. He was responding to a tweet by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief DK Shivakumar, who promised to “restore the glory of Bengaluru” as India’s best city after winning the 2023 state elections.
“Let’s focus on infra, IT&BT, not on Halal & Hijab,” KTR tweeted, while responding to Shivakumar, 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.
Earlier, Shivakumar’s statement on Bengaluru was made in response to a different tweet by KTR, wherein the latter had asked startups to shift to Hyderabad.
The Twitter conversation started last week after entrepreneur Ravish Naresh, co-founder of Housing.com and Khatabook, complained about the lack of civic facilities in Bengaluru.
KTR replied “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’s latest tweet on the hijab was on the ongoing anti-Muslim hate crimes and sentiments in Karnataka. The BJP government in the state disallowed Muslim women and girls from wearing the hijab (headscarf) in educational institutions, a move that was upheld by the state high court.
Aside from that, local right wing groups have also called for an agitation against the sale and consumption of Halal products. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national general secretary C T Ravi had called Halal food “economic jihad.”
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