Habit for some people to speak taking an anti-Karnataka stand: Priyank Kharge slams Mohandas Pai
Bengaluru, Nov 29: Information Technology industry veteran T V Mohandas PaI's post on social media about Hyderabad's potential in dethroning Bengaluru from its exalted IT city status, has elicited a rebuke from the state government with Minister Priyank Kharge stating that it has become a habit for some people to speak taking an anti-Karnataka stand.
Kharge, the Minister for IT & BT, on Wednesday said, not a single company, which has come to the negotiation table of the Government of Karnataka, has left the state.
Pai earlier today in a post on 'X' tagging Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said, "Will Hyderabad Dethrone Bangalore's IT Status? Continued neglect of Bengaluru by successive govts over last 10 years has led to this. Hope govt shows more energy to improve city."
Interestingly the tweet came on a day, when the city is hosting the 'Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS)', the annual global tech event promoted and organised by the state government.
"I feel that Mohandas Pai or anyone else might be lacking information. Not a single company who has come to the negotiation table of the Government of Karnataka, has left Karnataka. This has become a habit for some people to speak taking an anti-Karnataka stand," Kharge said.
Speaking to reporters he said, "Is Amazon not here? Are other companies not here? Tell which company has left Bengaluru? Some companies invest in Mumbai and Hyderabad too along with Bengaluru. Let him show a single company that has left after discussing or signing an agreement with us."
Noting that he doesn't know whether it is politically motivated, the Minister said, "but doing it repeatedly is not right."
Further noting that Pai too is a venture capitalist, Kharge asked him whether he is investing everything in Bengaluru.
"Won't he support startups in Delhi, Chennai? He will do it for the profit of his company, right? It is called diversification of investments. If he does diversification of investment and it is right, but if others do it, is it wrong?" he said.
Not wanting to comment on a question linking Pai's post to Assembly polls in Telangana, he said, "it is his personal matter, but being a Kannadiga, instead of speaking in favour of Kannadigas, if you fire the bullet in the air, what's the use?"
"My straight question is that -- show me one company that we have lost out. I can give you examples of us getting investments from other states, can he give one example of investment going out from here?" Kharge asked.
Stating that the government always consults people who have contributed to the growth of Bengaluru and IT industry while framing policies, as they are the experts, the Minister said, what can be done if one indulges only in criticism instead of constructive criticism.
"Wasn't he (Pai) part of the vision groups (earlier)? What happened then? I don't want to blame individuals, but it's not right if wrong information goes to the public," he added.
Pai had last month said that Kaynes Technology has commenced its Rs 2,800 crore OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test) plant construction in Telangana, setting aside its earlier plan to set up at Mysuru, due to a delay in response by the state government.
"Sad day for Karnataka. We have driven away one of our best cos from Mysore because of lethargy and lack of response, why are we driving away our industry? How will jobs come.....Karnataka should not lose out," he had posted.
Industries Minister M B Patil had then responded to Pai stating that there is not even a minor lapse by the government in responding to the company's proposal.
Will Hyderabad Dethrone Bangalore’s IT Status? continued neglect of Bengaluru by successive govts over last 10 years has led to this. Hope govt shows more energy to improve city @CMofKarnataka @siddaramaiah @DKShivakumar https://t.co/sG4uCv6edK
— Mohandas Pai (@TVMohandasPai) November 29, 2023
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
