Karnataka IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge, on Tuesday, shocked everyone at the news conference when he publicly accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office of bullying companies into diverting their investments towards Gujarat from other states.
Priyank was asked about Karnataka's ability to compete with other states in terms of attracting investments.
He revealed the challenge of competing with Gujarat, Modi's home state, which often receives investment opportunities at the expense of other states.
'Bulldozer' Politics:
Priyank expressed concern over companies being pressured to invest in Gujarat after receiving calls from the Prime Minister's Office, and he gave instances where companies moved to Gujarat despite initially considering Karnataka.
“We do the work, we go to the US, convince people and get them to Karnataka. But then, a phone call comes from the PMO asking for the investment to be made in Gujarat. Otherwise, they’re threatened with Bulldozer Baba. It’s as if India doesn’t exist without these two states (Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh),” the minister said.
He added, “But I won’t name the companies as it’ll be embarrassing for them,”
He talked about the need for a comprehensive ecosystem, including human resources and educational institutions, to attract investments.
Additionally, Priyank mentioned his upcoming meeting with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to seek similar subsidies for Karnataka as those provided to Gujarat, and he highlighted the importance of real economic development over purely publicity-driven initiatives.
Priyank plans to meet Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to seek a subsidy for Karnataka similar to the one provided to Gujarat. He aims to request the same incentive given to Gujarat by the Union government
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