Karnataka IT Minister slams Andhra counterpart over ‘desperate scavenging’ of startups

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge and Andhra Pradesh counterpart Nara Lokesh engaged in an online spat over startup relocation. Kharge criticised Lokesh’s overtures to lure Bengaluru startups to Vizag, calling it “desperate scavenging,” while Lokesh defended AP’s investment initiatives

Amaravati: Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge lashed out at his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Nara Lokesh for trying to woo Bengaluru-based startups frustrated over infrastructure woes, into the Telugu State, labelling the move “desperate scavenging” and “parasitic behaviour”.

In an online slugfest on micro-blogging site X, the IT Ministers of both the States traded barbs, especially over Lokesh’s overtures to companies, beginning with BlackBuck , a logistics startup.

When Rajesh Yabaji from BlackBuck