Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge has strongly criticized Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal for his statement about creating a new township that could serve as India’s next Silicon Valley, referring to his “bye-bye Bengaluru” comment. Speaking to News18, Priyank Kharge said, “Bye-bye Bengaluru means bye-bye Bharat,” and called Piyush Goyal’s remarks ill-conceived and uninformed. He challenged the union minister to first acknowledge the immense contributions of Bengaluru to India’s tech and startup ecosystem before suggesting alternatives.
The controversy started after Piyush Goyal, at a New Delhi event, proposed the idea of developing a new township dedicated to startups, innovation, and entrepreneurship. He suggested the township could be developed in collaboration with the National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) to foster a vibrant environment similar to Silicon Valley in the United States. He further stated that while Bengaluru is already considered India’s Silicon Valley, it was time to think bigger and explore new horizons.
Priyank Kharge, however, questioned whether the Centre’s proposal aimed at creating a north-south divide. He underscored that Bengaluru’s leadership in the IT and biotechnology sectors over the past 40 years has been instrumental in establishing India as a global technology hub. Highlighting the city’s contributions, Priyank Kharge pointed out that Bengaluru accounts for 65% of India’s aerospace and defense production, 21% of the national bioeconomy, and half of the country’s unicorn valuations, with $180 billion out of $360 billion in startups originating from the city. Moreover, Bengaluru hosts 45 foreign unicorns and produces over 10% of India’s electronics output.
Priyank Kharge also expressed frustration over the government’s decision to locate a new semiconductor ecosystem in Gujarat instead of Karnataka, despite four out of five companies favoring the southern state. “You dare say ‘bye-bye Bengaluru’ when the city has such a mature ecosystem?” he questioned, adding that the federal government should consider replicating Bengaluru’s success in education, skill development, and research rather than sidelining it.
Karnataka’s Minister for Commerce, Industries, and Infrastructure, MB Patil, echoed Priyank Kharge’s sentiments. Responding on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Patil stated, “Bengaluru wasn’t built in a day; it took decades, even centuries, to develop this ecosystem. You can build infrastructure, but ecosystems take time.”
While Piyush Goyal reiterated his vision for a new startup hub, Priyank Kharge maintained that Bengaluru’s existing status as a global tech leader should not be dismissed lightly.
