New Delhi:  Hyderabad is always competing with Bengaluru with regard to wooing IT and start-up investors to its side. Now Telangana Miniter K.T. Rama Rao and Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar had a friendly fight on Twitter over the crown of India’s top city for tech entrepreneurs.

Karnataka has been facing many controversies like Hijab, Halal, Loudspeakers in Mazids and a trade ban on Muslims in temple premises. Taking note of ongoing controversies Hyderabad is taking advantage to woo start-up investors to invest in Hyderabad. 

Rama Rao tweeted that “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 the city is a breeze”.

More importantly, our Govt's focus is on 3 i Mantra; innovation, infrastructure & inclusive growth, he tweeted.

His response came after Mr. Raveesh Naresh tweeted about bad roads in Bengaluru. “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 footpaths. Many rural areas now have better basic infra than India's Silicon Valley”.

Mr. Shivakumar countered that “. @ktrtrs , 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”

Again Mr. Rao replied to DKS tweet stated that “Dear @DKShivakumar 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, he replied.

BJP-ruled Karnataka, home to IT and startup hub Bengaluru, has been increasingly in the news lately for growing right-wing religious activism that the opposition says has targeted Muslims for everything from what they wear, eat and where they trade.

Recently Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar Shaw requested Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to resolve the growing religious divide in the state and warned that if the tech sector becomes communal it will destroy India’s global leadership in it.

Even Christian machineries are under attack in the state over accusations of forced religious conversion - allegations that have not been backed by data despite questions raised by the opposition and activists.