From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiwold Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Jan 12: The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly pitching for the State’s capital city of Bengaluru to be considered as India’s Second Capital after New Delhi.

Karnataka’s Large and Medium Industries Minister R V Deshpande has in an official letter to Modi, raised the need for a second capital for the country.

A city like Bengaluru situated in the southern region well away from natural calamities and extreme weather conditions besides with a diverse population of professionals and industries spanning across various fields of business is ideal for being considered as the country’s second capital, Deshpande said.

"India needs a second capital very urgently and Bengaluru is best place to fulfill that role," he said pointing out that a country of the size and scale of India cannot be managed from one location, especially when the government is gearing up for a paradigmatic and radical change in terms of depth of governance, structural reforms, national reconstruction and international partnerships.

Deshpande has advocated that Bengaluru with its multifaceted lifestyle, industrial development and technological innovations is in prime position to do just that.

Safe from external forces, away from international borders and a gentle climate all year round, the garden city of India and the Innovation hub of India does have the potential to become the second capital, he said.

"Bengaluru is probably the only city in the entire country where one can find as many software engineers as classical language scholars. Apart from Delhi, it has, probably internationally the most diverse student population and nationally the most diverse population of professionals attesting to the cultural diversity of the city and its civic robustness” says the minister’s letter.

Deshpande said recognising the importance of Bengaluru and developing it as India’s second capital was an integral factor to create decentralized systems and delegate decision-making.

This will help recognize the people of South India by bringing the administrative and judicial system closer to them, he said.

The letter also addresses the negative biases that people from southern Indian states have towards the Delhi government when it comes to South Indian demands.

"The rich and complex history of development and culture cannot be done justice in an administrative system which is distant and does not recognize the salience and uniqueness of the culture and ethos of South India,” says the letter.

The active integration of Southern India into the national vision needs a new capital, the minister said adding: "Establishing the second seat of the Supreme Court, a second office of the Union Public Service Commission and conduction the Winter Session of the Parliament in Bengaluru, are things we could consider.”
The letter is a positive start in drawing South Indians actively into the political discourse and administrative policy planning.

The advantage of having another capital city in India, especially if it is based in the South, will help create new opportunities in trade, cultural exchange, scientific prowess, technological innovation. The move will also allow millions of South Indians access to the national mainstream.

"They will finally come to know that the nation is not a distant rumour of intrigue carried out in the corridors of power in Delhi but that a nation is a daily plebiscite, a daily ritual and a daily festival of citizenship and development. It is my strong belief that you can resonate with this national aspiration and desire too.” concludes Deshpande in his address to the Prime Minister.