'Karnataka will not allow': DK Shivakumar slams Chandrababu Naidu’s pitch to move HAL from Bengaluru

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar flatly rejected any proposal to shift Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to Andhra Pradesh, amid reports that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had pitched a relocation plan to the Centre.

“We will not allow what has been functioning here to be shifted,” Shivakumar said, reaffirming Karnataka’s commitment to HAL’s presence. “HAL is our pride. We have provided land for expansion in Tumkur and Bengaluru. If they want to expand, we are ready to support that here.”

Shivakumar emphasized the state's historical and strategic role in India’s defence ecosystem, citing the company’s roots in Bengaluru dating back to 1940. “As our Nehruji gave us, it is a base. 

Bidar has a base, Bengaluru has a base. We have two HAL airports in Bengaluru itself — one in Yelahanka and one in HAL.”

His remarks follow Naidu’s reported offer of 10,000 acres in Andhra Pradesh’s Lepakshi–Madakasira region, just over an hour from Bengaluru’s airport, as a proposed site for HAL’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) units. Naidu made the pitch during a meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, proposing multiple defence and aerospace development hubs in Andhra.

But Karnataka ministers are pushing back forcefully.

Industry Minister M.B. Patil dismissed the idea of relocation, stating, “Naidu can suggest setting up a plant, but he cannot say shift HAL. Karnataka accounts for 65% of India’s defence manufacturing and should have received the defence corridor on merit.”

Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy echoed the sentiment: “Let him build a new unit. But as CM, he should not ask to shift from Bengaluru to Andhra. We will oppose it fully.”

Shivakumar underscored the state’s readiness to accommodate HAL’s growth without losing ground. “We have all those lands with us. We have given land in Tumkur for HAL. We have given for the helicopter division. If they want more, we will give.”

He added, “I don’t want to comment on whatever they demand. But Karnataka will not allow what has been functioning here to be shifted. I want Parliament members and my central ministers who are there to react on this. But as a government, we will not allow anything to be shifted.”