Bengaluru, 2 Oct

Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge hit back at his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Nara Lokesh after the latter invited firms to move to Anantpur from City once again.

Lokesh reposted a report on X which alleged that startups and firms were moving north in Bengaluru owing to the “crumbling Outer Ring Road”.

“North sounds good. Slightly more north is Anantapur.. where we are building a world class aerospace and defence ecosystem!” Lokesh wrote.

Priyank did not take the post lightly.

“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,” Priyank retorted. “(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?”

Priyank claimed that Bengaluru’s GDP was projected to grow at a significant 8.5 per cent until 2035, positioning it as the world's fastest-growing City. 

Adding that Bengaluru was “one of the highest migrant absorption Cities in India, he said the government “is and will continue to build infrastructure for the rapid growth we are experiencing.”

Bengaluru’s property market will rise by 5 per cent in 2025, he vowed.