HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Oct 1: Hitting out at opposition leader Priyank Kharge, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that Assam has given sleepless nights to the Congress-led government in Karnataka by taking away the semiconductor manufacturing unit for the state. He also took a potshot at Congress party for the remark of its leader Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge.
Nobody could have predicted, according to Sarma, how a small state like Assam could become the nation’s center for semiconductor chip manufacture.
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“This has caused the Karnataka government, led by the Congress, to have sleepless nights. Assam is behind the southern state on all indexes, yet suddenly they are talking about us. This has given me enormous pleasure”, he added.
He went on to say that Assam’s development would reach the sky and that it would not end here.
The chief minister said, “We will not stop only in the semiconductor plant. In a few years, Assam will reach the ultimate height of development. Our state will be in the forefront of the entire country in a short amount of time in terms of development.
He also took a swipe at Congress leaders in the state by saying, “I want to advise the opposition leaders to feel proud about their own state.”
Priyank, who is the son of Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge, also came under fire after the former’s comment on Assam.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had also earlier criticised Kharge for his comments.
Taking to X, he had said, “Once again, Congress shows its true colours by opposing Assam’s development. A Karnataka minister, who is also the son of the Congress national president, claims that Assam has no right to host a semiconductor industry!
“I urge Assam Congress leaders to reject this divisive thinking and stand up for Assam’s rightful growth and progress,” Sarma added.
Meanwhile, the people in Jagiroad assembly constituency took out a protest rally on Tuesday demanding an unconditional apology from Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge. Notably, the semiconductor manufacturing unit is coming up in Jagiroad which is the home constituency for heavyweight minister of the state Pijush Hazarika.
Hazarika said, “Priyank Kharge humiliated people of Assam by saying that we do not have an ecosystem for having a semiconductor manufacturing unit. This is a huge insult for our people. They should seek an immediate apology to the Assamese people.”
The Jagiroad MLA also demanded that Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi, under whose Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency the area falls, should clarify his stand.
“Pradyut Bordoloi must speak up now for his constituency and clarify his position,” the BJP minister said.
To recall, Priyank Kharge had posted on his social media handle, “Five semicon manufacturing units, four are in Gujarat, and one is in Assam, but they don’t have an ecosystem of skills there. They don’t have an ecosystem of research there. They don’t have an ecosystem of incubation. They don’t have a system of ecosystem of innovations…when 70% of the chip designing talent lies in Karnataka, I don’t understand why the government wants to push to another state by using political clout. That is unfair.”
Tata Group is coming up with a Rs 26,000-crore semiconductor plant at Jagiroad in Assam’s Morigaon district. (With Inputs from PTI)
