Remark triggers Karnataka’s political heat wave

Metro India News | AMARAVATI

A witty remark by Andhra Pradesh IT and Industries Minister Nara Lokesh has ignited a full-blown political war between Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Commenting on Google’s massive new investment in Visakhapatnam’s AI and Data Hub, Lokesh said with his trademark wit, “They say Andhra food is spicy, but looking at the Google deal, even our investments are proving just as hot.”

The remark, aimed at showcasing Andhra Pradesh’s growing appeal to global investors, instantly set social media ablaze and ruffled feathers in Karnataka, where Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and IT Minister Priyank Kharge fired back sharply, revealing how deeply the Andhra-Karnataka tech rivalry now runs.

In a post that quickly went viral, Lokesh said the “heat of Andhra’s Google deal is already being felt by our neighbours.” The jab, seen as a dig at Bengaluru’s once-undisputed dominance in India’s tech sector, was delivered soon after Andhra Pradesh clinched Google’s ₹15,000-crore AI Data Hub and subsea cable project, one of the largest single-location digital infrastructure investments in South Asia.

But Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar hit back with equal force. “I won’t respond to individuals trying to market themselves,” he said at Vidhana Soudha. “Let me be clear, no city in India can compete with Bengaluru. It contributes 40% of India’s IT tax revenue. Twenty-five lakh IT professionals, two lakh foreign experts, this is Bengaluru’s power. Others may talk, but we deliver.”

Taking a dig at Andhra’s investment push, Shivakumar added, “If investors want to go there for higher incentives, let them. They’ll gain experience. But nobody leaves Bengaluru, our infrastructure speaks for itself.”

Backing his senior colleague, Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge alleged that Andhra’s success was built on heavy subsidies. “Google didn’t move for free,” he claimed. “The Andhra government offered incentives worth ₹22,000 crore, including 100% GST reimbursement, 25% land discount, reduced water tariffs, and free power transmission. If we offered half of that, they’d call us fiscally irresponsible.”

Kharge accused the media of glorifying Andhra’s success while hiding the massive incentive packages. “All headlines say ‘Google comes to Andhra,’ but not how much taxpayers are paying for it,” he said, adding sarcastically, “Even the rising population in Bengaluru is because people from Andhra come here to work and then mock the city’s crowding.”