Reacting to Nara Lokesh's offer to aerospace firms to set up shop in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka minister G Parameshwara on Wednesday said the state won't "let go" of investors to other states.
Parameshwara's remarks came in light of the Karnataka government dropping plans to acquire land for an aerospace park near Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport.
While the minister agreed that the state government may be unable to provide land in Devanahalli taluk, he clarified that the move doesn't mean investors should go invest elsewhere.
"If we are not able to give land in Devanahalli, we will give it at some other place. We will definitely not let the other investors go to other states, such as Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu," the state minister told the media, adding the government would try to convince investors to re-locate plans somewhere else in Karnataka itself.
Karnataka's U-turn on aerospace plan
After initially planning to acquire land for an aerospace hub near the Bengaluru airport, the Karnataka government had to roll back on the decision, cancelling thr 1,777-acre land acquisition plan.
{{/usCountry}}After initially planning to acquire land for an aerospace hub near the Bengaluru airport, the Karnataka government had to roll back on the decision, cancelling thr 1,777-acre land acquisition plan.
{{/usCountry}}The Karnataka government's U-turn came following protests from farmers who were not willing to part ways with the fertile land.
Announcing the scrapping of the plan, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah clarified that the state will only buy land from farmers who want to sell, and those who do will get more money and developed plots in return.
Nara Lokesh jumps in with pitch
Andhra Pradesh Industries Minister Nara Lokesh was quick to jump at the chance to woo investors towards his state. In a post on X, Lokesh reached out to the aerospace industry, saying he was "sorry to hear" about Karnataka's move.
Pitching an offer to aerospace firms, he wrote, "Why don’t you look at Andhra Pradesh instead? We have an attractive aerospace policy for you, with best-in-class incentives and over 8,000 acres of ready-to-use land (just outside Bengaluru)! Hope to see you soon to talk across the table.”
Not just G Parameshwara, Karnataka Minister Santosh Lad also reacted to Lokesh's offer, clarifying that the land acquisition project was not scrapped.
"For the last 5 decades, we have been in the number one position in GDP. We will find a solution. The farmers had a strong opinion that this land should not be given to anyone else. We have asked farmers to voluntarily give us their land. It doesn't mean the project is scrapped," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Karnataka's rollback on land acquisition near the Bengaluru airport came as a major victory for farmers, who had continuously been protesting against it.