A war of words broke out between the Congress-ruled Karnataka government and the NDA-ruled Andhra Pradesh government after Google selected Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, over Bengaluru for its mega Data and AI hub. Responding to the development, the Karnataka government said on Wednesday that if Andhra Pradesh offers greater concessions, companies are free to go there and learn from its experience.
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who is also Bengaluru Development Minister, spoke while replying to media questions at Vidhana Soudha on Wednesday.
He said, “Can we say no to those going to Andhra? If they are going because more concessions are being offered, let them go. They, too, will learn from experience.”
Congress leader further stressed that on infrastructure, human resources, innovation, and research, no city in the country matches Bengaluru.
“On infrastructure, human resources, innovation, and research, no city in the country matches Bengaluru. Others speak about Bengaluru only to market themselves,” Shivakumar said, ANI reported.
Reacting to Nara Lokesh’s remarks, the Deputy CM said, “Be it Nara Lokesh or anyone else, I won’t react to their statements. Bengaluru has 25 lakh IT professionals and 2 lakh foreigners working here. Bengaluru’s contribution to the nation’s growth is immense. About 40 per cent of the Centre’s tax revenue comes from here. They talk about Bengaluru only to market themselves. Let them do whatever they want. Even if the Centre helps them, Bengaluru cannot be matched.”
What Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Said?
Earlier, Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh said, “If they’re (Karnataka government) inefficient, what can I do? Their own industrialists say infrastructure is bad, and there are power cuts. They should first fix those problems.”
Lokesh emphasised Andhra Pradesh’s leadership, calling it a “double engine bullet train sarkar” with clear vision and the ability to deliver projects quickly. “When states compete, India wins. I am not here for a Twitter (X) war,” he added.