With four seats at stake in the city after the delimitation process, the Congress youth leader wooed the educated class in the South Bangalore constituency where his friend and Youth Congress state president Krishna Byre Gowda is the Congress candidate. The party also have important candidates like Jaffer Sharief (North), H T Sangliana (Central) and journalist turned politician Tejaswini Sriramesh (Rural) in the garden city.
Addressing an election meeting at National College Grounds here last night, he said the city had attracted the world attention through Information Technology and had the wherewithals to overtake the Silicon Valley of the US and march ahead, provided proper infrastructure was created.
"However, it depends upon how far the ruling BJP government in Karnataka utilises the funds. We know that the Rs 1000 Crore sent by the UPA government for Bangalore development has remained unutilised," he added.
Mr Gandhi said his father Rajiv Gandhi had foreseen great prospects for the city when some prominent people from here had visited him. "He had then said that Bangalore had the talent to compete with any city in the world. If we are able to connect this talent to the rest of the world through infrastructure and computer we can achieve it." He said the opposition had then criticised the statement and not many believed in the talent present here. But now Bangalore had not only attracted the world but was marching ahead at a faster rate. It only needed a more conducive atmosphere.
"I am sure if given its due, the city, within next 15 to 20 years, will overtake Silicon Valley," Mr Gandhi predicted.
