Bengaluru traffic woes: Nara Lokesh lures investors ‘north’, Priyank gives brutal reply
IT Ministers Priyank Kharge and Nara Lokesh trade barbs on X over companies leaving Bengaluru; Kharge pans Andhra for 'desperate scavenging'
The intense competition between the two southern states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to attract investments into their respective states has once again flared up into a battle of tweets, with Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday (October 2) attacking his Andhra counterpart Nara Lokesh with a scathing post on X.
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Nara Lokesh’s cheeky tweet
The latest spat was ignited by a news report that said several companies were considering moving their offices towards north Bengaluru due to the worsening traffic and infrastructure conditions along the Outer Ring Road.
Andhra Pradesh’s IT Minister Nara Lokesh grabbed the opportunity with a cheeky post on X, “North sounds good. Slightly more north is Anantapur.. where we are building a world class aerospace and defence ecosystem!” And he ended it with a smiley emoji.
He could not have been less subtle in extending an invitation to companies to look at greener pastures (or, in this case, better infrastructure) in his state.
Also Read: Centre ‘intimidating’ foreign investors coming to Karnataka: Priyank Kharge
Priyank Kharge’s aggressive response
Priyank Kharge may have been a little slow to respond to Lokesh’s tweet (after more than two hours), but he made up for it with his aggression and the length of his post that highlighted Bengaluru’s achievements.
He started off on a sarcastic note, “It is 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.”
Kharge then went on to say that Bengaluru’s GDP is projected to grow at a significant 8.5 per cent until 2035, positioning it as the world's fastest-growing city.
He said Bengaluru’s property market will rise by 5 per cent in 2025.
Kharge quoted the Savills Growth Hubs Index which states that Bengaluru is set to outpace global counterparts in terms of urbanisation, economic growth, and innovation by 2033.
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He said the urban agglomeration of Bengaluru is estimated to have approximately 14.40 million people in 2025, with an annual growth rate of about 2.76 per cent.
He highlighted the inclusive nature of Bengaluru, saying, “We are one of the highest migrant absorption cities in India.”
Karnataka’s IT Minister said his government “is and will continue to build infrastructure for the rapid growth we are experiencing”.
He saved his most scathing remark for the end.
“By the way, 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?” concluded Kharge’s post, in an obvious reference to a parasite.