The Karnataka government has been finding itself on the back foot after a massive investment by Google recently went to the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, and corporate leaders started making their displeasure with the city’s crumbling infrastructure very public. The Opposition wasted no time in alleging that the government’s inefficiency is costing people jobs and hurting the State’s economy.
So, when Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius praised Bengaluru, Congress Ministers — Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge — wasted no time amplifying his words on social media.
‘An energising city’
In a video shared on X, the Mercedes-Benz CEO can be seen saying that every visit to Bengaluru left him twice as energised.
“You meet someone (in Bengaluru) who speaks fluent German. And I go like ‘where did you study German?’ And the person says, ‘I’ve never been to Germany.’ That intrinsic motivation, I want more of that. And we will go to where that is,” the German auto boss can be seen saying.
“Namma Ooru’s Unmatched Spirit!” is how Mr. Shivakumar – also the Minister of Bengaluru Development – addressed Mr. Källenius’ praise.
“His appreciation that every visit here “doubles his energy” is a proud recognition of our people’s brilliance. Bengaluru’s creativity, talent, and spirit of innovation continue to inspire the world’s best. We will keep building on this strength to make Bengaluru shine even brighter on the global stage,” he wrote on X on Tuesday.
Beating someone at their own game?
Mr. Shivakumar had recently traded barbs with industrialist Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, who, interestingly, cited yet another foreign national, a Chinese delegate on a business visit to Bengaluru, to make her case about the city’s infrastructural issues. Mr. Shivakumar’s post seemed like a ‘German’ response to a ‘Chinese’ offensive.
‘Robust tech ecosystem’
IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge, who has been embroiled in multiple social media wars recently, was one of the first to reshare Mr. Källenius’s video on his X handle. Quoting the video, he noted that Bengaluru’s tech ecosystem competes on competence, not cost, and on value, not valuation.
“What draws global leaders here isn’t low-cost manpower, but deep technical expertise. Bengaluru is emerging as the top destination for skilled talent in the APAC region, ranking first for tech talent acquisition. With 36% of the world’s tech talent concentrated in the U.S. and India, the city is driving the next wave of innovation, powered by people who don’t just execute, but think, build, and solve for the world. It’s no surprise that global CEOs continue to choose Karnataka as their base for building the technologies of tomorrow,” he wrote in a veiled response to his critics accusing him of losing out to the competition from other States.
Mr. Kharge had previously said that Google’s investment in Andhra Pradesh, the company’s biggest investment in India in return for ₹22,000 crore worth of incentives, is an economic disaster for the neighbouring State.
The Ministerial spat
He had accused the Central government of arm-twisting companies to invest in BJP-governed States like Gujarat and Assam. He questioned whether either of the States had any talent suitable for such industries, drawing sharp responses from Assam Chief Minister Himant Biswas Sarma.
Accusing Mr. Kharge of insulting Assam’s youth, Mr. Sarma said that the Assam government is considering filing a case against him for the same.
The trading of barbs that began on Monday spilled over to Tuesday when Mr. Kharge took to X to allege that BJP and the Assam CM were twisting his words and termed Mr. Sarma’s comments ‘politically rabid.’
Published – October 28, 2025 08:15 pm IST
