‘Tamil Nadu's GDP is now greater than the GDP of Pakistan': Naukri.com founder has a message for Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir

In a milestone that blends economic pride with geopolitical commentary, Tamil Nadu has officially surpassed Pakistan in GDP, a striking achievement considering the southern Indian state's population is nearly one-third that of its neighbour. This revelation, highlighted by Info Edge founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani, has stirred widespread debate and some hot takes on social media. While the numbers speak of Tamil Nadu’s rising economic clout, the conversation has inevitably turned toward Pakistan’s missed opportunities.

Sanjeev Bikhchandani, best known for founding Naukri.com, took to X to spotlight Tamil Nadu’s economic feat. “The average resident of TN is now more than 3x better off than the average resident of Pakistan,” he pointed out, urging Pakistan’s establishment to shift its focus from militant ideology and conflict to economic development, infrastructure, and education.

He further added, “Forget this obsession with militant Islam, Kashmir and being anti-India. And stop supporting terror groups,” he added, emphasising that the true beneficiaries of such a shift would be the people of Pakistan themselves.

Social media shares its thoughts

Bikhchandani’s post lit up social media, prompting both prideful commentary from Indians and pointed observations about regional politics. One user cheekily noted that if the long-pending airport issues in Coimbatore were fixed, “just the Kongu region will surpass Pakistan’s GDP.” The user added that per capita income in that area was already intensely high.


For the unversed, Kongu, also known as Kongu Nadu or Kongu Mandalam, refers to the geographical region covering the western and northwestern parts of Tamil Nadu.

Another commenter offered a sobering geopolitical reminder, citing how other Indian states like Gujarat and Karnataka are also economically outperforming Pakistan. They drew a parallel with Iran and the Houthis, suggesting that despite being economically cornered, nations don’t easily abandon aggressive postures. But perhaps the most viral quip came from a user who captured the moment’s absurdity: “When a single Indian state laps your entire economy, maybe it’s time to swap missiles for math books.”

Pahalgam terrorist attack and Operation Sindoor

The conversation was triggered after the recent India-Pakistan conflict. In a decisive response to the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, India launched targeted strikes on nine terror installations across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir last week under Operation Sindoor.


Over four days, the region witnessed a sharp escalation, marked by a wave of drone and missile exchanges between the two nations. However, tensions eased on Saturday as India and Pakistan reached a mutual agreement to halt hostilities, bringing a temporary calm after a period of intense cross-border conflict.

The Pakistan government has had to knock the doors of different countries and multilateral agencies like International Monetary Fund to save its struggling economy. Recently, the IMF has disbursed a second tranche of $1 billion. Pakistan's gross reserves stand at about $10.3 billion at the end of April as compared with $680 billion of India.