"Bengaluru vs. Andhra Pradesh: Nara Lokesh Targets Bengaluru, Ministers Hit Back"

It is well known that Bengaluru is called the IT capital of the country. Many people from the Telugu states also work in various companies in Bengaluru. Despite several cities competing to beat Bengaluru in the IT sector, it can be said that until now, no city has been able to achieve this. To some extent, Hyderabad has been giving Bengaluru a tough challenge in this regard. The reason for this is the recent political uproar created by Andhra Pradesh’s IT and Human Resources Minister Nara Lokesh, who has been targeting Bengaluru-based companies with frequent tweets. Karnataka ministers have also made sharp comments about Lokesh’s approach. They have been accusing him of treating attracting investments as merely tweeting and offering lands at cheap prices. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Minister Nara Lokesh have claimed that companies from across the world are flocking to Andhra Pradesh due to its investment-friendly environment, which Bengaluru-based industrialists may not be aware of.

                                                   Whenever news about traffic or other issues in Bengaluru comes up in the media, Nara Lokesh immediately tweets in response, facing criticism in the process. No one has criticized his efforts to bring investments to Andhra Pradesh, but now, the criticism is centered around the approach he is following. Recently, Karnataka’s IT Minister Priyank Kharge made sharp remarks on a tweet made by AP Minister Nara Lokesh. He stated that it is natural for weaker ecosystems to rely on stronger ones. There is nothing wrong with that, but when attempts are made out of desperation, it indicates not strength but weakness. He also indirectly referred to Andhra Pradesh as a "parasite." For some time, Nara Lokesh has been tweeting about every piece of news related to Bengaluru.

                                                  In response, Priyank Kharge criticized Nara Lokesh in a post, mentioning that Bengaluru’s real estate sector and annual growth rate would also be discussed in the coming days. A journalist named Christine Matthew Philip tweeted that due to issues with the Outer Ring Road, several startups and companies are moving towards North Bengaluru. In response, Nara Lokesh tweeted that it is a good development that companies are moving towards North Bengaluru, and if they move a little further north, they will reach Anantapur, where they are developing a world-class aerospace and defense ecosystem. Priyank Kharge responded sharply to this. In response to the Karnataka Minister's tweet, Nara Lokesh stated, "As a new state, we will explore every opportunity to attract investments. When states compete for investments and jobs, I truly believe India will develop." He also countered by saying, "Arrogance, like potholes on roads, should be fixed before the journey gets tripped up.". It remains to be seen where this matter will end.