NEW DELHI: Karnataka deputy chief minister
DK Shivakumar’s Tuesday's post on X announcing Rs 27,607 crore worth of new investments in the state has set off fresh political ripples, coming just hours after Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh’s exchange with former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant over Google’s $15 billion AI data centre hub in Visakhapatnam.
“Karnataka means business! Rs 27,607 crore worth of new investments approved — creating 8,700+ jobs across 13 projects. We’re building a stronger economy, one bold step at a time. Powered by vision — backed by action,” Shivakumar posted, signalling the state’s intent to reinforce its image as India’s top destination for technology and industry.
The timing of the tweet drew attention in political circles, with observers interpreting it as a veiled response to Lokesh’s celebratory post on Google’s mega announcement.
Earlier, Amitabh Kant had praised Andhra CM N Chandrababu Naidu for attracting “historic, marquee investments,” calling the Vizag AI hub the beginning of a new wave of data infrastructure growth in India. “The future of India’s digital economy will depend on attracting cutting-edge compute power and global hyperscalers,” he wrote on X.
In response, Nara Lokesh thanked Kant and credited the success to the “entire AP government team and unwavering support from the Centre,” adding, “Above all, our leader @ncbn’s leadership is turning bold ideas into billion-dollar realities.”
The exchange followed weeks of friendly fire between the two southern states, each claiming the edge in wooing tech giants. Earlier this month, Lokesh had taken a dig at Shivakumar, quipping on X: “They say Andhra food is spicy. Seems some of our investments are too. Some neighbours are already feeling the burn.”
Shivakumar, without naming Lokesh, had fired back asserting Bengaluru’s unchallenged supremacy as India’s IT capital. “There is no match for Bengaluru in terms of infrastructure, human resources, and innovation,” he said, adding that Andhra’s offers were “concession-driven” and that “Bengaluru doesn’t need to advertise; its strength speaks for itself.”
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