All said and done, Bengaluru is known as India’s IT capital and it has long been home to thousands of professionals from Telugu states. Despite Hyderabad emerging as a strong competitor in recent years, Bengaluru continues to dominate in the IT sector.
However, of late, Andhra Pradesh IT minister Nara Lokesh has been irritating the Karnataka government with his repeated tweets targeting Bengaluru’s infrastructure issues in his eagerness to attract investments to Andhra Pradesh.
Lokesh has often used media reports about Bengaluru’s traffic and infrastructure troubles to pitch Andhra Pradesh as an alternative.
Recently, when a journalist tweeted about companies moving northward within Bengaluru due to traffic woes, Lokesh responded that this was a good sign, since moving slightly further north would bring them to Anantapur, where Andhra was building a “world-class aerospace and defence ecosystem.”
Karnataka IT minister Priyank Kharge reacted sharply to Lokesh’s tweet, though the latter did not make any direct comments against Karnataka government. Kharge said it was natural for weaker ecosystems to feed off stronger ones.
“Nothing wrong with that, but when it turns into desperate scavenging, it shows more weakness than strength,” he said.
He pointed out in his tweet: “Bengaluru’s GDP is projected to grow at a significant 8.5% until 2035, positioning it as the world's fastest-growing city.
- Bengaluru’s property market will rise by 5% in 2025
- Savills Growth Hubs Index states, we are set to outpace global counterparts in terms of urbanisation, economic growth, and innovation by 2033
- The urban agglomeration of Bengaluru is estimated to have 14.40 million people in 2025, with an annual growth rate 2.76 %.
- We are one of the highest migrant absorption cities in India. The Government is and will continue to build infrastructure for the rapid growth we are experiencing.
Kharge compared Lokesh with a parasite. “BTW, what is an organism that lives in or on an organism of another species and benefits by deriving nutrients at the other's expense called?”
Responding again, Lokesh defended his approach, saying that as a new state, Andhra must seize every opportunity for investments and jobs.
“As India’s youngest state, we are looking for every opportunity to grow and generate jobs. I truly believe that as states compete for investments and jobs, India will prosper. My humble suggestion - Arrogance, like potholes on roads, should be fixed first before the journey gets tripped up!” Lokesh said.
Priyank Kharge retorted: “Competition is always welcome; we thrive on it. But let’s be clear, desperate scavenging is not a strength. It is the duty of every government to acknowledge problems and provide solutions. And when it comes to arrogance, the farmers of Andhra Pradesh have already advised the Government. My very best to the youngest state.”
The war of words goes on!