Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday lashed out at Congress leader Priyank Kharge for questioning the availability of skilled youth in Assam. Calling Kharge a “first-class idiot”, Sarma said the Congress Minister from Karnataka had insulted the people of Assam.
“Priyank Kharge is a first-class idiot. He has insulted Assamese youth, and Congress has not yet condemned this. Perhaps, we might file a case against him because he has said that Assam does not have educated youth. It is an insult to the entire Assamese youth,” Sarma told reporters.
Kharge, who is a Minister in the Karnataka Government and the son of Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge, made the controversial remark on Sunday while speaking about the semiconductor industry. He questioned why major semiconductor projects were being set up in Assam and Gujarat instead of Karnataka.
“Why are semiconductor industries going to Assam and Gujarat when they actually want to come to Bengaluru? All the investments meant for Karnataka are being arm-twisted by the Central Government to go to Gujarat. What is there in Gujarat? Is there talent there? What is there in Assam? Is there talent there?” Kharge said.
Responding to the criticism, Priyank Kharge said his comments had been deliberately twisted by the BJP and the Assam Chief Minister.
“As usual, the BJP and CM Himanta Biswa Sarma are twisting my words. My statement is clear and very specific, it was about how semiconductor companies were being pressured to set up in Gujarat and Assam, even when they had expressed a clear interest in Karnataka because of our engineering talent and established ecosystem,” Kharge said.
He went on to attack Sarma’s record, citing Assam’s poor performance in health, education and economic growth indicators. “After nearly a decade of BJP rule, Assam today ranks among the bottom five states in crucial development indicators like health, education and economic growth, as per NITI Aayog’s latest report. The only thing Sarma has managed to grow is his own wealth. Every major scam or corruption case seems to trace back to his doorstep, while the youth of Assam are left without jobs or opportunities,” he said.
The Assam Chief Minister reiterated calling Priyank Kharge as ‘first-class idiot’ and said that the State may file a case against him for defaming Assamese people.
Kharge made the controversial remark on Sunday while speaking about the semiconductor industry