"People are still going to come to us, our competition is different": Priyank Kharge on Nara Lokesh's Aerospace park pitch

Speaking to the media, Priyank Kharge said, "Andhra Pradesh is a new state, and they will do everything they can to ensure that they get the new investments. They will give land for 99 paisa/acre... They need to attract investments, so they will do a song and dance about it... While we also offer subsidies and incentives, we don't need to do what they have to do. Whether it is Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, or Maharashtra, our competition is different. There are numbers to speak about it. Last year, our IT exports were close to Rs 4.5 lakh crores."

"We are number one in unicorns, aerospace defence manufacturing... While we love competition, they can give free land, water, and as many subsidies as they want... People are still going to come to us. It has nothing to do with a few acres of land being given back to the farmers," he added.

Karnataka Minister MB Patil stated that the state government is committed to providing land for every genuine industry.

"He has the right to establish the aerospace and defence industries in Andhra Pradesh. But just because of one incident of a land issue, where we had to drop some land acquisition because of farmers' issues, that doesn't mean it is the end. We have ample space and land. Karnataka also has an ecosystem that is more important. We are also contributing almost more than 65 per cent to the country in aerospace defence. In our state, not one industry will go out because of a want of land," Patil said.

TDP MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu stated that if any company wishes to expand, it is welcome to Andhra Pradesh.

"There are no farmers' issues in Andhra Pradesh. In Amaravati, farmers gave 33,000 acres voluntarily for the development of a new capital city. Andhra Pradesh's leadership and the people are positive about the development and welcoming new projects. We welcome any industry that wants to move to Andhra Pradesh. Sriharikota is a hub for space programmes. All the space companies can flourish there. If Karnataka cannot deliver, we will deliver," Sri Krishna said.

This comes after Nara Lokesh made a pitch to the Aerospace industry to shift the project to Andhra Pradesh, following the Karnataka government's withdrawal of the plan to acquire land for an aerospace park in Bengaluru.

Pitching to the Aerospace industry, Lokesh said that Andhra Pradesh has an attractive aerospace policy with "best-in-class incentives" and over "8000 acres of ready-to-use land."

This comes as the Karnataka government decided to withdraw the land acquisition of 1,777 acres of farmland in Devanahalli taluk, near the Kempegowda International Airport, for a proposed aerospace park.

This marked a major victory for farmers who had been protesting against the land acquisition. (ANI)