"Karnataka Wins..." DK Shivakumar's Jibe After Ajit Pawar's Hinjewadi Lament

The competition to host Information and Technology (IT) and software companies - which provide tax revenue for a state's coffers, jobs for its population, and a badge of honour for the ruling party - may have kickstarted a political row between the Karnataka and Maharashtra administrations.

Last week Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the state's Finance and Planning Minister, caused a flutter by lamenting the exodus of IT companies from Pune's Hinjewadi.

"We are finished..." he said, momentarily unaware he was being filmed, and criticised civic officials for failing to address problems like flooded roads, constraints on supply of electricity, lack of public infrastructure, and traffic jams and poorly maintained roads.

"We are ruined... the entire IT park of Hinjewadi is moving out. It is going out of my Pune (the district assigned to his care) and out of Maharashtra... to Bengaluru and Hyderabad..."

"Don't you care at all?" Mr Pawar raged, "Why do I have to come here for inspections at 6 in the morning? I don't understand. There's no alternative but to take strict action."

It is only after that Mr Pawar asks the media to switch off their cameras.

Already under fire over the Manikrao Kokate incident, i.e., a party colleague caught playing rummy on his phone during the Assembly - he then ordered officials to "immediately resolve" problems.

DKS' Karnataka Builds...' Riposte

Ajit Pawar's lament (and mention of Bengaluru, seen as India's 'Silicon Valley') was picked up by his Karnataka countepart, DK Shivakumar, who said, "Business isn't shifting to Karnataka - it's choosing us. Consciously. Confidently... Hinjewadi still struggles, Karnataka builds..."

"We're not just India's Silicon Valley in name - we deliver. From Electronic City to Tier 2 innovation hubs, Karnataka offers what others can't:

Pro-business policies,
Plug-and-play infra,
Zero harassment, single-window clearances,
An ecosystem built on innovation."

Business isn't shifting to Karnataka - it's choosing us. Consciously. Confidently.

We're not just India's Silicon Valley in name - we deliver.
From Electronic City to Tier 2 innovation hubs, Karnataka offers what others can't:
✅ Pro-business policies
✅ Plug-and-play infra
✅…

— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) July 31, 2025

"Under Congress leadership, we've laid out a red carpet, not red tape. We're not just hosting companies... we're co-creating futures. If Ajit Pawar ji is upset, time to think why..."

"Karnataka wins on merit. The rest must catch up," Mr Shivakumar said on X.

Hinjewadi is home to the Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park, which is spread over 2,800 acres and was built by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation at a reported cost of Rs 155 crore.

Maharashtra's Hinjewadi Problem

Over 800 IT and software companies, including Infosys, Accenture, Cisco, and Cognizant, have their offices in Hinjewadi, which also houses a significant number of private residences.

Overall, between five and seven lakh people are employed at the business facility.

Several companies have, however, threatened to quit Hinjewadi and take their tax contributions and jobs to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Mr Pawar's 6 am inspection was a signal Maharashtra's ruling Mahayuti alliance (led by the Bharatiya Janata Party) is taking this seriously.

Mr Pawar has already reached out to Union Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, urging the immediate widening of three crucial national highways passing through the Pune region.

READ | Ajit Pawar Writes To Gadkari, Wants 3 Key National Highways Widened

During his inspection, Mr Pawar spoke to the sarpanch of a nearby village who raised concerns about the impact of any road-widening on surrounding farmlands, and suggested his hands were tied. "If things do not improve, Hinjewadi IT Park will move to Bengaluru or Hyderabad," he told the sarpanch.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has assured the companies and residents their concerns will be heard and addressed. Work has begun; around 200 structures have been demolished to widen roads.

The ruling Mahayuti is aware also of opposition pressure on this issue, particularly after the state lost projects - led by industrial giant Vedanta and Apple manufacturer Foxconn - to Gujarat in 2022.

Maharashtra also lost a project by Tata-Airbus, intensfying opposition criticism over companies leaving the state and taking jobs and revenue with them.

Opposition Jabs Ajit Pawar, Mahayuti

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut and Supriya Sule of the NCP (Sharad Chandra Pawar) have led criticism of the state government on this topic. Mr Raut mocked Ajit Pawar for running to Hinjewadi at 6 am after neglecting, he said, the area for so long.

"Hinjewadi has been craving basic amenities. Ajit Pawar, the guardian minister of Pune, what has he been doing all this time? What is the use of getting up at 6 am and making the media run after you?"

Ms Sule, Mr Pawar's cousin, was equally scathing. She said she had appealed to the state to implement long-term and permanent solutions to address infrastructure problems.

With input from agencies