‘Just outside Bengaluru’: Nara Lokesh pitches 8,000 acres in AP to aerospace firms after Karnataka U-turn
After Karnataka scrapped its aerospace park plans due to farmer protests, Andhra Pradesh's Nara Lokesh invited impacted companies to consider his state.
After the Karnataka government officially scrapped plans to acquire land for an aerospace park near Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport following intense farmer protests, neighbouring Andhra Pradesh was quick to seize the opportunity.
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What Nara Lokesh said?
Andhra Pradesh Industries Minister Nara Lokesh took to social media platform X to make a direct appeal to aerospace companies impacted by the Karnataka decision, offering them not only policy incentives but also a large, strategically located land parcel near the Karnataka border.
“Dear Aerospace industry, sorry to hear about this,” Lokesh posted. “I have a better idea for you. Why don’t you look at Andhra Pradesh instead? We have an attractive aerospace policy for you, with best-in-class incentives and over 8,000 acres of ready-to-use land (just outside Bengaluru)! Hope to see you soon to talk across the table.”
Lokesh’s open invitation comes just days after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced the cancellation of a 1,777-acre land acquisition plan in Devanahalli taluk — a decision hailed as a major victory for protesting farmers. The announcement came on the 1,198th day of continuous protests by local farmers who had refused to part with fertile land for the proposed aerospace hub.
Addressing the media after a meeting with officials and farmer representatives at Vidhana Soudha on July 15, Siddaramaiah said the state would now acquire land only from farmers willing to sell voluntarily, and those offering land would be given higher compensation and developed plots in return. The government, he said, had “completely shelved the forced land acquisition plan.”
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Lokesh’s move has once again brought the spotlight back to regional competition over aerospace investments. His father, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, had earlier made headlines by offering a 10,000-acre land parcel in the Lepakshi–Madakasira region of Anantapur district to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for potential expansion. The area is strategically located, roughly an hour’s drive from Bengaluru Airport.
Naidu’s proposal triggered sharp reactions from Karnataka’s leadership. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar strongly opposed any suggestion of HAL projects being shifted out of the state.
“HAL is Karnataka’s pride. We won’t allow it to be moved elsewhere,” Shivakumar said at the time, reaffirming that the state had already earmarked land for HAL’s growth in Tumakuru and Bengaluru. “If HAL needs more space, we are ready to provide it — but not at the cost of relocating such a prestigious
