"Goodbye, Bengaluru Means." "Goodbye, India": Priyank Kharge tells News18 about Piyush Goyal's Remark

 Karnataka's IT minister, Priyank Kharge, recently criticized union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal's suggestion of developing a new township aimed at creating a “new Silicon Valley” in India. Goyal, during an event in New Delhi, proposed the idea of collaborating with the National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) to establish a special township dedicated to startups, entrepreneurs, and innovators. His suggestion was intended to foster innovation, much like what Bengaluru has achieved as India’s current Silicon Valley.

"Goodbye, Bengaluru Means." "Goodbye, India": Priyank Kharge tells News18 about Piyush Goyal's Remark

Kharge took issue with Goyal’s remarks, particularly the implication of moving focus away from Bengaluru, stating that such a move would be a disservice to India's progress. According to Kharge, saying "bye-bye Bengaluru" would mean saying "bye-bye Bharat" itself. He argued that Bengaluru has played a critical role in India's IT and startup ecosystem over the last four decades and questioned whether the government was trying to create a divide between the northern and southern parts of the country. 

The minister emphasized the significant contributions Bengaluru has made, such as accounting for 65% of India’s aerospace and defense industry, 21% of the country’s bioeconomy, and a large share of electronics output. He also pointed out that half of India's unicorn companies, valued at around $180 billion, are based in Bengaluru. Kharge urged Goyal and others to consider these contributions before suggesting alternative hubs for innovation. 

He also criticized the government's decision to send the semiconductor industry to Gujarat instead of Karnataka, questioning whether Gujarat had the necessary ecosystem for such a development. Kharge argued that most companies preferred Karnataka, yet they were forced to move to other states like Gujarat and Assam. 

In response to Goyal’s idea of building a 500-acre township for startups, Kharge asked why the government couldn’t instead replicate Bengaluru’s success by adopting its education, skill development, research, and startup models in other areas, rather than abandoning the city that has already proven itself. He argued that Goyal, as a union minister, should take responsibility for nurturing Bengaluru’s ecosystem while also creating new opportunities elsewhere. 

Supporting Kharge’s stance, Karnataka's commerce and industries minister MB Patil added that Bengaluru’s knowledge ecosystem wasn’t built overnight. He highlighted that while infrastructure can be constructed, the kind of ecosystem Bengaluru has developed takes decades to establish. Patil reinforced the idea that Bengaluru remains an integral part of India’s growth and innovation story, emphasizing that any new initiative should build on the city’s success rather than undermining it.