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Naidu, Krishna keen to promote IT jointly

Fakir Chand in Bangalore

What was billed to be a clash of the titans has turned out to be a meeting of the two stellar minds, creating a lot of bonhomie and goodwill. The setting could not have been better.

In the first-ever meeting of India's two IT-savvy leaders, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna hit-off very well and projected themselves as being in joint collaboration for pushing their IT agenda to the fore across the country.

The occasion was the inaugural session of the three-day regional round-table on Information and Communication Technology, being organised by the Asian Development Bank in Bangalore from Tuesday in association with the governments of India, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.

All eyes were on Naidu and Krishna. On how they will meet and interact, and what they will exchange or discuss, especially in the backdrop of the spat between the two neighboring states in wooing IT geeks and foreign investors to their respective state capitals.

Though Naidu overshadowed Krishna by being the cynosure of all the visiting delegates and members of the ADB, it was the latter who carried the day by playing a perfect host and outplaying the former in a bout of diplomatic exercise.

Hogging the limelight, what with battery of cameramen and electronic media persons falling over each other to capture the best frame, Naidu took the centerstage to deliver the inaugural address with a power-point presentation from his latest laptop.

In contrast, Krishna was is usual self, making an extempore speech about the strides Karnataka made in the field of information technology, and the initiatives being made to repeat the IT success in the emerging bio-technology.

While Naidu made a dramatic projection of the advantages and benefits being reaped by developing countries like Israel, China, Malaysia, and Singapore with extensive use of the converging technologies, Krishna played second fiddle by endorsing Naidu's call for the maximum use of IT in improving the quality of governance and eradicating poverty that bedevils both the states, besides the country in general.

At the end of the first session, when the two CMs were accosted by the surging media tribe with a flurry of questions, both Naidu and Krishna rose to the occasion to put up a brave front and claimed that they were together in carrying out the IT revolution for the good of the common folk in their respective states.

"We may have differences on several issues plaguing the two neighboring states, but when it comes to IT or e-governance, we are together to do our best in collaboration and by learning from each other," claimed Krishna, endorsing Naidu's stand on common approach to taking IT to the masses.

Being the part of the NDA at the Centre with his ruling Telugu Desam Party extending an outside support to the Vajpyaee government, Naidu was the natural target of media's bombardment on several IT-related issues.

Krishna joined Naidu in demanding an end to the monopoly of the Centre in communications and bandwidth issues.

"The government should scrap the monopoly of VSNL right now instead of waiting till 2002 if we are to provide instant access and enough bandwidth to the IT industry as well as the people of this country to make communications affordable," thundered Naidu.

Both the chief ministers said they would jointly approach the Centre for speedy implementation of the various IT policies and deregulation of the controls vested with VSNL and BSNL in the converging areas of telecom.

Acknowledging the crucial role being played by Naidu in taking IT to the masses, Krishna praised his counterpart for setting an example in pushing the IT agenda in the corridors of power.

"Naidu is clearly a role-model for all of us to emulate when it comes to e-governance and use of IT in improving the standard of living, especially in the semi-urban and rural areas to bridge the digital divide," Krishna extolled.

Both the CMs, however, parried questions on inter-state disputes involving the sharing of Krishna waters, but agreed to join hands in fighting with the Centre for greater devolution of powers, including resources to both states.

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