Rahulpromises to strengthen brand Hyderabad

Hyderabad, April 25 (IANS) Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Friday promised to further strengthen brand Hyderabad by making it the number one information technology city in the country and also developing it as a hardware hub.

Addressing an election meeting here, he said the Congress would take brand Hyderabad all over the world. He said that the proposed IT Investment Region (ITIR) in Hyderabad will provide jobs to 70 lakh youth.

"Hyderabad is a software centre and we want Telangana and Hyderabad to become centre of hardware," he said.

Gandhi said his dream after five years is to see clothes, watch, shoes and other goods carry made in Telangana and made in Hyderabad labels.

He said the UPA government developed infrastructure for dedicated manufacturing corridors from Delhi to Kolkata, Delhi to Mumbai, Mumbai to Bangalore and Bangalore to Chennai.

Gandhi said Telangana, which will become a new state on June 2, should dream big. "I don't wear a watch. I want to wear made in Telangana watch," he said amid cheers from the crowd at L. B. Stadium in the heart of the city.

He said 4,000 MW power plant would be set up in Telangana while the backward districts would get tax holiday for 10 years. He also promised two lakh jobs in private sector and one lakh jobs in public sector every year for the next five years.

Charging the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) of doing politics of anger in Hyderabad by whipping up regional feelings, the Congress leader assured security and protection to all residents of Hyderabad.

"This city is built by all people who came from different regions. This city belongs to all. It's a city of love and brotherhood and it can progress only with love and brotherhood," he said.

He claimed that Congress government did a lot for Hyderabad during last few years. It started Hyderabad Metro Rail project at a cost of Rs.14,000 crore, built multi modal transport system for Hyderabad and Secunderabad at a cost of Rs.625 crore, set up Rs.700 crore Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and upgraded the airport.