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The comment was made in response to AIADMK’s remarks that Sundar Pichai, who is originally from Tamil Nadu, had overlooked his home state in choosing Andhra for the project
Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. (File photos via AP/PTI)
A quiet but sharp comment from Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh on Tuesday added new heat to the political row between Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK and the opposition AIADMK over tech giant Google’s $15 billion investment in an artificial intelligence and data hub in Visakhapatnam.
Reposting a news report about the political war of words between DMK and AIADMK over Google’s new investment on X, Lokesh wrote just three words, “He chose Bharat.”
The comment was made in response to the AIADMK’s remarks that Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who is originally from Tamil Nadu, had overlooked his home state in choosing Andhra for the project.
The AIADMK has used Google’s decision to attack the DMK government, arguing that Tamil Nadu missed out on a major investment opportunity. Senior AIADMK leader and former minister RB Udhayakumar said the ruling party had failed to reach out to Pichai, calling him a “son of the soil.”
“If the DMK government had approached him and offered him a formal invitation, Google would have chosen Tamil Nadu. But, the Tamil Nadu government has lost such a huge opportunity,” Udhayakumar told reporters.
The AIADMK senior also accused the MK Stalin-led government of being passive in attracting big investments and mocked state’s Industries Minister TRB Rajaa for publicising figures on social media without offering concrete proof.
“Whenever we ask for a white paper on total investments, he gives a blank one,” Udhayakumar said.
In contrast, he praised Andhra Pradesh’s approach under Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, whose government reportedly used a “4P” strategy — People, Public, Private, Partnership — to bring in Google.
“Based on this strategy, they have received this investment from Google and hereafter Vishakapatnam will grow at rocket speed in attracting new investments,” he added.
Last week, Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian had announced a project that will become the company’s largest AI hub outside the United States. The development will feature a 1-gigawatt data centre campus, new renewable energy infrastructure, and an expanded fibre-optic network, in partnership with the Adani Group.
The investment is expected to generate around 6,000 direct and 30,000 indirect jobs, and bring in ₹10,000 crore in revenue annually for Andhra Pradesh.
(With inputs from PTI)
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
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