From Our Correspondent
Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Minister for IT and HRD Nara Lokesh has joined the national conversation surrounding the political war of words between Tamil Nadu’s two major parties — the DMK and AIADMK — over Google’s decision to set up its massive data centre in Visakhapatnam.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Lokesh posted clippings and a news channel video of AIADMK leaders accusing the DMK government of failing to attract Google’s investment to Tamil Nadu, despite CEO Sundar Pichai being of Tamil origin.
“Sundar Pichai is a Tamil, yet the DMK government couldn’t bring Google’s investment to Tamil Nadu,” an AIADMK leader is seen saying in the video shared by Lokesh.
In his post, Lokesh wrote that Pichai did not choose Andhra Pradesh alone — he chose Bharat (India), underscoring that the investment reflects confidence in the country’s technology ecosystem rather than regional politics.
“Sundar Pichai chose not Andhra… but Bharat. HE CHOSE BHARAT,” Lokesh posted, emphasizing national pride and the collaborative effort between the Indian and Andhra Pradesh governments to facilitate the project.
The ₹87,000 crore Google Data Centre project in Visakhapatnam — the largest FDI in Andhra Pradesh’s history — has triggered political debate in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, with opposition parties there claiming that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s government failed to secure the investment.
Lokesh’s post subtly redirected the discourse from regional rivalry to India’s growing stature as a global digital and investment hub, while reinforcing Andhra Pradesh’s proactive role under Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in attracting world-class projects.