Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) spokesperson Sathya Kumar has challenged Andhra Pradesh to compare its record on attracting investment and creating jobs with Tamil Nadu’s after taking Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s reply to a reporter as a dig at Tamil Nadu.At the CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam, the reporter asked how much political leadership mattered in retaining industries and what made Andhra Pradesh an attractive option for automakers and tech companies from Tamil Nadu looking to expand.“You want masala. I want results,” Naidu told the reporter.WHAT ANDHRA PRADESH CM SAID“You want masala.

I want results!” Chandrababu Naidu’s sharp response to a question on industries moving from Tamil Nadu to Andhra Pradesh. #ChandrababuNaidu https://t.co/tpDu4GLH8i— Telugu360 (@Telugu360) November 13, 2026“All states are competing each other, but investors have their own choice,” Naidu said. “I know how to attract investment,” he added, saying he had hosted eight of the 31 editions of the CII Partnership Summit. He also spoke about cooperation among southern states.

Naidu defended offering incentives to attract companies, citing criticism of an offer of land at one rupee an acre in Visakhapatnam.He said the state offered more incentives initially and scaled them back as the industrial base grew and it became easier to attract other companies.TVK SETS A DAVOS CHALLENGEKumar picked up on Naidu’s use of the word “masala” in a post on X defending Tamil Nadu’s industrial record. “Do not underestimate the people of Tamil Nadu,” he wrote. “Our skilled workforce, entrepreneurial spirit and strong industrial ecosystem are foundations built over generations not masala.”Kumar also took a swipe at Naidu’s alliance with the BJP and invoked federalism, state autonomy and Tamil identity. He said Chief Minister Vijay’s government was determined to attract investment and create quality jobs.Pointing to Vijay’s expected participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2027, Kumar wrote, “Let us compete on investments secured, projects implemented and jobs created.”He said he was confident Tamil Nadu could attract more investment than Andhra Pradesh under Vijay.THE RACE FOR INVESTMENTSThe two states are already vying for some of the same projects.

This week, Brazilian electrical equipment maker WEG chose Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu for a proposed Rs 2,000 crore manufacturing facility. Andhra Pradesh had pitched Kuppam for the project, which is expected to create about 3,000 jobs.Tamil Nadu, India’s second-largest state economy, is also looking to build on its auto manufacturing base.

The state says South Korean component suppliers Hwashin and Seoyon have made fresh investment commitments worth a combined Rs 1,370 crore over five years.Naidu helped develop Hyderabad into an IT hub as Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh. Attracting investment to Andhra Pradesh has been a priority for him since the 2014 bifurcation, when Hyderabad became part of Telangana.At the Visakhapatnam summit, Kia India announced plans to invest US$2 billion in a new manufacturing unit in Andhra Pradesh.

The project is expected to create about 12,000 jobs.- Ends