'Darte kyu ho, naam lo': KTR jabs at Tanmay Bhat in podcast

HYDERABAD: While it is commonly seen that ministers give interviews to top news channels, Telangana's IT minister K T Rama Rao did a rather unconventional podcast with YouTuber and comedian Tanmay Bhat. The duo's conversation, which included points starting from his relation with his son to his vision for Telangana, has been attracting appreciation from thousands of viewers who are saying that the country needs more ministers like KTR, who is not just knowledgeable and development oriented but also witty and humorous.

Multiple times when Tanmay Bhat hesitated to take Prime Minister Narendra Modi's name, KTR went ahead and said "you mean Modi? 'Darte kyu ho, naam lo' (why are you scared, take his name)," putting Tanmay in a humorously sticky situation.

Tanmay Bhat said to the Minister that he did not sound like a politician but rather like the 'founder' or CEO of the Telangana State to which KTR said that he did find Telangana to be the most successful 'startup' in the form of a State. He also gave out numbers in terms of the State's development.

When asked about Telangana State's model and its success, KTR said that the State's model focused on the development of the rural and urban areas, unlike the 'Golmaal Gujarat Model'. He said that the Agriculture and Forestation departments were progressing on par with the IT and Meta sectors.

He mentioned the Kaleshwaram project, the world's largest multi-stage lift irrigation project and T-Hub world's largest startup incubator and how people of Telangana take pride in the development of the state.

KTR said that there should be discussions on politics only during elections. He said that the economy should take center stage in the country rather than people fighting over what someone wears or eats.

Tanmay Bhat, who recently moved to Bangalore, asked the minister if he should consider moving to Hyderabad, to which KTR said that he believes that there was no reason why he shouldn't. He said that Hyderabad is a 'blend of biryani and paratha'.

Speaking about his relationship with his father, Chief Minister KCR, he said that he does not compare himself with his father. He called KCR an achiever. He mentioned that there is a generation gap between him and his father which led to disagreements but when it came to the State, they agreed on what's best for the State. He said that though KCR is his father, he is his boss too.

The duo agreed that when investors looked at India, they'd find different sides of the country. If a person entered India through Uttar Pradesh, he would get a different opinion from when they entered through Hyderabad.

KTR said that the reason behind global companies setting up their largest stations at Hyderabad is because the Government treats investors as partners. He said a simple conversation with an Amazon representative on a flight has led to Asia's largest fulfillment center and largest office is at Hyderabad, because of the mutual trust and understanding.

The minister said that T-Hub, the world's largest startup incubator, would house more than 2,000 startups and the vision is to see profitable unicorn companies being made through T-Hub.

The duo also spoke about the Minister's relationship with his son, his experience at Davos, his views on crypto and web 3. The video ended with the minister saying that he believes in a balance between work and adventure as an answer to a Hyderabadi asking about the 'night-life' of the city.