Bengaluru, Hyderabad can support each other to build better India: D K Shivakumar

Hyderabad, Dec 8 (PTI) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Monday said Bengaluru and Hyderabad, major technology hubs in the country, are not competitors, but they can support each other to build a better India.

Shivakumar, who spoke at the two-day Telangana Rising Global Summit organised by the state government here, also said the country would rise further when the southern states make rapid progress.

He said that he thought Telangana is competing with Bengaluru and Karnataka, but it is not so. The state is competing "globally".

Shivakumar, who congratulated Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for completing two years in office, said the entire south stands with him for the progress of the country "to match the world".

"Today, I am not here only as Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, but as a proud voice for bidding the south... I could see the vision you (Telangana) have. It is a global vision. I know Telangana is a small state, not like Karnataka," he said.

The IT exports from Bengaluru are about 43 per cent of total exports from the country and Telangana could be little less. However, the Telangana government's vision is big and he was glad to attend the event, he said.

"When we talk about India's technology story, it is impossible to tell the story without speaking about Bengaluru and Hyderabad together. So, let us all join together. People have tried to frame Bengaluru and Hyderabad as the competitors. But, truth is more powerful. We are not competitors. We support each other. We grow each other and build better India and the entire world," he said.

Quoting late Ratan Tata that one has to walk together if he/she wants to walk far, he suggested working together to make Bengaluru and Hyderabad progress fast.

While 13 lakh engineers work in California in the US, 25 lakh engineers work in Bengaluru, he said.

"Even Telangana, Hyderabad has a very big potential. So, both of us will work together," he said.

With the human resources available in the southern states, no other country can compete with India, Shivakumar said.

Referring to the presence of Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy, he hoped that the Centre would extend more support to grow further for the country's future. PTI SJR SJR KH