Search the Internet            Tips

Li Peng in Bangalore for reality check of India's IT boom

Fakir Chand in Bangalore

Chinese leader and ex-premier Li Peng arrived in Bangalore on Monday afternoon from Delhi on a two-day trip to the Mecca of India's information technology boom for a reality check.

China's National People Congress chairman, accompanied by wife Zhu Ling and a strong delegation of officials and businessmen, will be visiting four global IT companies, including India's flagship company Infosys for a first hand account of the strides made by the country in the hi-tech area.

In contrast to the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Yashiro Mori to the Silicon Valley of India in August last, which witnessed a lot of fanfare and media hype, Li's stay in the city and his busy schedule is shrouded in secrecy, and away from the arc lights of the infotainment channels.

The security cover at the airport and throughout the route to the hotel where he is being put up was so tight that hordes of media persons were left in the lurch on his arrival without giving an opportunity for the customary inter-action with the high-profile dignitary.

Waving in the classic style of Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai, Li walked up to the media enclosure for a photo-op from the battery of lensmen and TV crews after a red-carpet welcome by state's IT-savvy chief minister S M Krishna, only to be rushed into the waiting Benz for a quick exit out of the airport.

In response to the shouts by scribes for an impromptu briefing, Li only gave a big smile and greeted in the Indian style with hands folded, and his wife joining him in the act.

What's more, to avoid any embarrassing questions from the fourth estate, even the media hounds are officially being barred from covering his visits to three of IT companies at the International Technology Park in Whitefield on the outskirts of the city.

However, an official from the VIP protocol told rediff.com at the airport that Li would be going to the ITP Tuesday morning for visiting three global companies, including the only Chinese firm in the tech-park, viz., Huawie Technologies, besides Lucent Technologies of the US, and Sanyo Technologies of Japan.

The only face-saving opportunity for a possible inter-action with Li will be at Infosys in the Electronics City on Tuesday evening, where the press corps has been invited by the company to grace the occasion.

Li will also be going around the sprawling campus for a close look at the kind of facilities being provided by the company to its Infosyscians, and which are rated as the best of kind in the country.

Being only a party functionary or communist ideologue now, Lie's visit to Karnataka's capital is kept as a low-key affair with just an official banquet, hosted by state governor S Rama Devi, where only a select dignitaries of the government, including Krishna and his cabinet colleagues are invited to attend.

Li goes to Hyderabad on Wednesday morning on way back home.

Money

Business News

Tell us what you think of this report