Bengaluru, June 19 (IANS) State Minister for RDPR, IT, and BT Priyank Kharge stated on Thursday that the Central government was attempting to undermine Karnataka’s success.

He said this while commenting on the Central government’s denial of permission for his visit to the US.

Speaking to reporters at the Bengaluru International Airport after returning from a tour of Paris, Priyank Kharge said, “It seems they are trying to prevent Karnataka’s success.”

“It is okay if they reject the permission, but there must be valid reasons for doing so. If they provide appropriate reasons, it becomes acceptable. However, the categorical denial of permission for the US visit is not right,” he stated.

“Karnataka is an electronics manufacturing hub. Over the past year, we have attracted investments in various sectors to the state. The Central government talks about ‘Viksit Bharat’ and ‘Amrit Bharat’, but the development of India begins with the development of Karnataka,” Kharge asserted.

“We were not going to the US to play ‘Dandiya’ (a traditional dance form). I will meet Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to discuss this matter. After the discussion, we will brief the media,” he said.

“We are visiting foreign nations with the objective of generating employment. It is also our responsibility to ensure the inflow of investments into the state. If Karnataka benefits, the entire nation benefits as well. Karnataka is one of the driving forces of the Indian economy,” Kharge stated.

“What the Central government has done by not allowing me to visit the US is unfair. During my previous visit to the US along with the Minister for Large and Medium Industries, M.B. Patil, we signed agreements and letters of intent worth Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 crore through the Invest Karnataka event,” he pointed out.

He further stated that Karnataka has recently approved semiconductor and electronics manufacturing projects. “We have given the go-ahead for a Rs 20,000 crore project in this regard. As a result, Karnataka has developed into an electronics and aerospace hub. Given this background, it is possible for Karnataka to achieve a top ranking in the startup ecosystem. All this progress has been made within the past year, and yet we do not understand why the Central government denied the proposal for my US visit,” he added.

“The Central government must provide valid reasons for denying the visit to the US. Initially, the entire delegation was denied permission. Later, the delegation was cleared, but I was still denied permission,” Kharge said.

Minister Priyank Kharge was denied permission for an official visit to the US to participate in the Bio International Convention in Boston. He was also scheduled to attend the Design Automation Conference (DAC) in San Francisco.

–IANS

mka/dpb