Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge has been involved in a war of words with Andhra IT Minister Nara Lokesh and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswas Sarma over investments in their respective States.
Kharge has alleged that the Centre was arm-twisting companies that were interested in investing in Karnataka and weaning them away to BJP ruled-states.
“The Centre is diverting these companies to places where there is no ecosystem and places that would require at least 5-10-years to build an ecosystem,” said Kharge and added that Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana were the obvious choices for investors.
Assam is one of the States along with Andhra Pradesh where the Central government has approved a semiconductor project.
In all, the Centre has approved 10 such projects across six States-four in Gujarat, two in Odisha and one each in Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Assam.
Except for Punjab which is ruled by AAP and Andhra Pradesh which is ruled by the TDP, a staunch ally of the BJP, all the other States have BJP governments.
So, Priyank Kharge has a valid point when he says the Centre is favouring only BJP-ruled States. Why does Gujarat need four semiconductor plants?
At least two of them can be set up elsewhere across the nation in States that would accelerate their economic ecosystem? But no, Gujarat being the home State of the Prime Minister, it always gets a lion’s share of whatever projects the Centre comes up with as do Ambani and Adani.
But it is not essential that mega-projects come up only in places where there is a robust eco-system,. For instance, there have been various projects that have altered the landscape of areas which were hitherto unknown.
So, there is a good case to be made out for such ventures coming up in backward States but the allocation should be based on meritocracy and not favouritism or politics alone.
After all, Narendra Modi has been elected as the Prime Minister of entire India and not Gujarat alone.
