IBNLive Chat: 'Bangalore should not be Bangalored'

GROUND WORRIES: Ramesh Venkateswaran, Director, SDM Institute for Management Development, Mysore, says the new Karnataka government has to address infrastructure woes.

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Keywords: Growth, Bangalore

Deepak: What is the best and efficient way to bridge the gap between Bangalore and other cities?

Ramesh Venkateswaran: Karnataka has the good fortune of having many parts of the state that can support various kinds of industry. One way to bridge the gap, therefore, is to encourage and give incentives on development in other parts of the state. We have proven our intellectual capabilities in the IT and research field in Bangalore. This can easily be taken to other parts of the state - to allow for all-round development in the state.

Gehna: Are there any new educational reforms expected with the current government , which could be a turnaround for the education sector?

Ramesh Venkateswaran: Not sure what you mean by educational reforms. I believe the government should establish Karnataka for high quality and reliable education at all levels and across the state. Which means more accountability and guarantee that educational institutions are delivering value to the students at all times.

Ganesh S Kudva: Will there be a coalition govt in the future? Will Karnataka get a stable govt during this elections? Do you support regional parties?

Ramesh Venkateswaran: By all accounts we seem to be heading for a coalition government. We have some idea of how such coalitions have worked in the country these last few years. I see that strong regional parties can work well if they have clear visions of what they want to do and demonstrate action to the people.

Ranganathan: Who will get majority in Karnataka polls and will the Cauvery problem be solved after a government formation?

Ramesh Venkateswaran: Good question. I need a crystal ball to answer this question. Your guess will be as good as mine. The Cauvery issue like many other inter state / inter country matters would require tremendous political will on the part of all concerned to look at the larger interests of people without being limited to boundaries and maps. Do we have this anywhere in the world? If we could achieve this, the world would be a great place to live in, would it not?

Jay: Why don’t we have the right to vote saying "I definitely don’t want this guy’s party to come into power"? This is a democracy, right? But, I guess our systems are so corrupt that we will create further confusion and violence by doing something like that.

Ramesh Venkateswaran: Democracy is about exercising your right to choose. When we vote for someone, we are, in fact, saying we do not want the others. I guess we have to acknowledge the right of others to vote for whom they want however much we may disagree with them. That is democracy!

Aamitk: Mysore is a beautiful city. Will the next govt promote it as a tourist destination?

Ramesh Venkateswaran: Yes, Mysore is a truly awesome city. The local government is doing a bit to promote tourism. But not enough. Mysore can truly be a world-class tourist destination and generate substantial income and employment for the local people.

S.V.Padmanabhan: Do you expect a verdict in favour of a single party? If not, how can a multi-party govt. provide all-inclusive growth? Is there hope for Karnataka? Or for the country which has witnessed failure of UPA on most major issues?

Ramesh Venkateswaran: Much as one would like to see a single-party government, all polls and opinions point to the fact that this will not happen. It seems clear that as long as we have alliances, they will be marriages of convenience and parties will spend a large part of their energy in maintaining this relationship and may not have much time to devote to the development of the state. I still believe that focusing on the strengths of Karnataka - education, IT and research-based industry, tourism - these are very strong areas that can drive Karnataka to the top of the charts as a state. We have natural advantages - any government that comes to power should have some people devoted to these areas so that the state does not suffer.