PM, BJP spreading misinformation, industries leaving Maharashtra: Karnataka minister Kharge

Pune: Karnataka minister and senior Congress leader Priyank Kharge on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP were spreading misinformation and were not interested in development.

Kharge, the southern state’s IT minister, said this “factory of misinformation” started when Modi was chief minister of Gujarat and “was dreaming of becoming PM”.

“The job of this factory is to spread misinformation, disinformation, fake news and give birth to lies. When he was CM, it was just a factory. By the time he became PM, the factory was elevated to a full-fledged industry,” alleged Kharge, who is the son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

“The PM and BJP have no interest in development, particularly Maharashtra’s development. Earlier, Karnataka’s competition was with Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. But now we do not have any competition with Maharashtra,” he claimed underlining the Congress’ routine assertion that industries were shifting from the Eknath Shinde-ruled state.

Karnataka used to vie with Maharashtra for investment in IT and biotechnology sectors but that is not the case anymore as the latter is not in the race, he further claimed.

“Pune and Bengaluru were twin cities. What happened? How come Bengaluru has gone ahead? The reason is the PM is secretly moving projects from Maharashtra to Gujarat. I am not saying this. The Congress is not saying this. This is from government of India data,” he claimed.

Kharge claimed the Tata Airbus project was supposed to be set up in Maharashtra but finally shifted to Gujarat.

“We also tried. When I insisted for Karnataka, I was told the project is going to Maharashtra because it had conducive ecosystem for the project. A project worth Rs 22,000 crore, how did it go to Vadodara (in Gujarat)?” he claimed.

How come the project went to Gujarat when Mumbai is the financial capital, Pune is the skill capital and a lot of talent is in Maharashtra, he questioned.

Kharge claimed the Vedanta Foxconn semiconductor project was supposed to be set up in Pune but went to Gujarat, and so did a medical device park.

“My appeal to the people of Maharashtra is to vote for the Maha Vikas Aghadi and the Congress. If it goes to Mahayuti, then there will be Adani government here,” he claimed, adding that NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had spoken about the billionaire industrialist being part of efforts to bring down the MVA government.

If people want a “puppet” government under which projects will leave the state and go to Gujarat, then they can vote for the Mahayuti comprising the BJP, Shinde’s Shiv Sena and NCP, the Karnataka IT minister said.

When Modi and the BJP make promises, they call it “Modi ki guarantee” and “masterstroke” but when Congress announces schemes, they will call it “revdi” (freebies), he said.

“They just give catchy slogans but in reality work does not take place,” Kharge said in a swipe at the BJP.