Karnataka’s development debate has once again taken centre stage, this time with the ruling Congress hitting back at the Janata Dal (Secular)’s “no roads, no funds, no jobs” jibe. The discussion over the state’s development has been brewing for weeks and follows Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw’s sharp criticism of Bengaluru’s pothole-ridden and garbage-strewn roads. Responding to the JD(S) attack, Congress described Karnataka as India’s “investment magnet,” saying it preferred to counter with “facts, not feelings”.
It began when JD(S) state president Nikhil Kumar accused the government of complacency, alleging that ministers were busy “cooking excuses” while neighbouring Andhra Pradesh was “cooking up investments”. The post was in response to Andhra minister Nara Lokesh’s post that his state not only has “spicy food” but “spicier investments” too.
Kumar posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Andhra is cooking up investments, while Karnataka’s ministers are busy cooking excuses. Andhra is attracting Google; Karnataka’s ministers are threatening people who use it.”
He further added, “No roads, no funds, no jobs, but just reels, real estate, and rhetoric!” before taking a swipe at Karnataka.
“It looks like Andhra’s spice burns hotter than Bengaluru’s asphalt these days,” he further said, before expressing that the NDA leadership “rebooted the state,” and that JD(S) would do the same in Karnataka. “2028 will be our reboot year”.
Andhra is cooking up investments, while Karnataka’s ministers are busy cooking excuses.
— Nikhil Kumar (@Nikhil_Kumar_k) October 16, 2025
Andhra is attracting Google; Karnataka’s ministers are threatening people who use it.
No roads, no funds, no jobs, but just reels, real estate, and rhetoric!
It Looks like Andhra’s spice… https://t.co/GjSfGPj6yV
Congress fires back with ‘facts’
The Karnataka Congress quoted Kumar’s post and said it preferred to counter “with facts, not feelings”.
“Karnataka is India’s investment magnet. Rs 54,427 crore ($6.57B) FDI in FY23–24. From semiconductors to EVs, from startups to smart infra, we’re cooking with real billions,” the post from the Congress’s official social media handle read.
The party went on to highlight Bengaluru’s booming startup ecosystem, noting that startups in 2024 raised $3.4 billion across 285 deals, a 14 per cent year-on-year increase, with seed-stage funding up 26 per cent.
“Bengaluru Startups 2024: $3.4B raised across 285 deals (+14% YoY), Seed-stage funding up 26 per cent, H1 2025 alone: $1.7B, Flipkart – $1B+ (Walmart, GIC, CPP), Groww – $202M.”
It added, “Global giants building in Karnataka: AMD – $400M R&D hub, 3K jobs, Applied Materials – $400M semiconductor facility, Lam Research – Rs 15,901 crore infra, Foxconn – Rs 80,000 crore hub, 50,000 jobs, and Google ‘Ananta’ Campus – one of their largest globally.”
The party also highlighted investments in the state in 2024, including Web Werks’ ₹20,000 crore data centre park, Hitachi’s rural tech initiatives in Hubli-Dharwad, Honeywell’s smart infrastructure and IoT investments, and Volvo’s EV and hydrogen mobility push.
“Karnataka accounts for nearly 20–22% of India’s total FDI stock,” the party asserted.
“No jobs, no funds” in Karnataka? 😂
— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) October 16, 2025
Sit down, bro. We’re here to educate you, with facts, not feelings.
Karnataka is India’s investment magnet.
₹54,427 crore ($6.57B) FDI in FY23–24.
From semiconductors to EVs, from startups to smart infra, we’re cooking with real billions.… https://t.co/yZYE1s4t85
Congress didn’t stop at numbers
Taking a jibe at Kumaraswamy’s son, the party said that after “three failed launches”, he got a job in “family business”. “After three failed launches, you finally got a ‘job’ in your family business, which, by the way, economists call disguised unemployment.”
Congress further said that instead of “crying for Karnataka”, he should instead cry for “industries and opportunities that were diverted to Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh”.
“Karnataka lost thousands of crores worth of investment because Delhi chose politics over fairness. Maybe bring those back, bro, instead of trying to put Karnataka down to look ‘cool’ on social media. Because right now, the only thing that’s unemployed is your sense of shame,” the post further said.
It is to be noted that following Shaw’s criticism of Karnataka, especially Bengaluru, IAS officer Maheshwar Rao held a review meeting, where they identified the top 100 critical roads in the city, which will be fixed on priority. These include issues such as potholes, footpaths, lighting, flooding, and black spots.
