Telugu Desam Party general secretary and Andhra Pradesh IT minister Nara Lokesh is on cloud nine after the state struck a big deal with Google Cloud for setting up 1 GW AI data centre at Visakhapatnam at a cost of Rs 87,500 crore.
Nothing wrong in his jubilation, as it is a big achievement and it will place Andhra Pradesh on a world map. But that doesn’t mean he should undervalue other states who are also competing in securing big investments.
He is particularly targeting neighbouring Karnataka which has lost out in the race to secure the Google. In his overenthusiasm, Lokesh made cheap statements that has not gone down well not only with Karnataka, but also normal netizens.
On Wednesday, Lokesh responded to the issue of competition with other states, saying: 'if they (other states) are inefficient what can I do? They should focus on fixing what their investors have been asking for. If they have pothole ridden roads, and longer power cuts, they should focus on fixing it. I am here to attract investments for my state and I will do it aggressively.”
On Thursday, Lokesh took to X to further provoke Karnataka: “They say Andhra food is spicy. Seems some of our investments are too. Some neighbours are already feeling the burn! #AndhraRising #YoungestStateHighestInvestment.”
Karnataka IT minister Priyank Kharge reacted sharply to Lokesh claim, saying that the move was driven primarily by large-scale incentives rather than strategic preference.
He told reporters that Andhra Pradesh government has offered â¹22,000 crore worth of incentives, including 100% reimbursement of State GST, a 25% discount on land prices, 25% concession on water tariffs, and free power transmission for the tech giant’s operations.
“These are unprecedented concessions. But newspapers will only write that Google has come to Andhra Pradesh — not that it came because of such massive subsidies,” he remarked.
He pointed out that if Karnataka were to extend similar incentives, critics would accuse the state government of destroying its financial stability.
“If people from Andhra Pradesh come to Bengaluru for jobs, they contribute to our economy. Calling that population pressure is misleading,” he added.
Lokesh also received heavy trolling on the net for his jibe at Karnataka.
“Spicy investments? More like spicy scams—â¹22K crore subsidies to Google, tax-dodgers guzzling Vizag's water like monsters. Neighbors jealous? Fix your droughts and real jobs first, before the burn hits home!” said one netizen.
“Lokesh often compares Andhra with Bengaluru in terms of growth, but Heritage’s head office still remains outside Andhra. Supporting the state should begin with such basic decisions,” commented another techie.
Another follower observed: “Nara is measuring contest. Could explain the deal and the revenue which andhra will benefit. Sources claims. Google go to Vizag? Subsidies. Huge discount on land & water costs. Total SGST reimbursement. Moral of story Andhra gets nothing other than the of CBN associated companies. Time for to research in CBN associated companies shares and growth.”
“Dear Lokesa, you have a few investment wins, good for you & AP time you ask your brothers who are working in Bangalore from Andhra to move back right? burn ante, Bangalore is cool year-round, burn is permanent in AP due to the weather...,” observed another guy.
“Not the right statement sir. We people of Andhra are leaving our life in Bangalore, Chennai & Hyderabad mostly because of no income source here in AP. Even if u hit six every day… it will take years to reach what other states have achieved in terms of growth. Calm down,” said another techie.