Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came together to slam Congress leader and Sivaganga Lok Sabha MP Karti Chidambaram for mocking the Tata Group’s plans to set up a semiconductor plant in Assam. Refering to a report saying that Tata Electronics is planning to invest ₹40,000 crore to set up a semiconductor plant in Assam, he wrote on 8th December, “Call me when the facility is actually operational.”
It is notable that on 8th December, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the Tata group has sought approval for a semiconductor plant in the state. He shared, “Tata Group has submitted an application to set up a semiconductor processing plant in Assam with an investment of Rs 40,000 crore. This will be a game-changer. My gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his continuous guidance in transforming our state,” on social media and the Congress leader picked it as an opportunity to target the state government.
By the comment, Karti Chidambaram wanted to imply that it is just a hollow promise and that the plant will not come up in Assam.
However, the BJP leaders as well as netizens responded strongly to the attack. The Assam chief minister promised to call him as soon as the plant is established in the state. He tweeted, “Yes. I will. Promise”
BJP national general secretary BL Santhosh called out the “arrogance” of the Congress politician and asserted, “This arrogance has cost you Tamil Nadu outside Shivagangai. Has cost Assam too. You will face the brunt across Bharath too. Hope your Assam leaders read your tweet.’
Dr SG Suryah, state secretary of BJP Tamil Nadu reminded the Congress leader of his father’s anti-digitalization argument. “Dare to challenge even after your father’s historical nose cut on Digital Transactions in India,” he asked.
Minister in Assam government Pijush Hazarika asked if Karti Chidambaram meant that “Assamese people aren’t capable of building a semiconductor facility?”
Tamil Nadu BJP president Annamalai posted a hard-hitting tweet, saying, “Dynast Thiru @KartiPC & his father Thiru @PChidambaram_IN do not often step out of their palace to witness the reality & transformation the country is witnessing today.” He quoted how P Chidambaram had in 2017 said that vegetable sellers will never accept online payments, and mentioned how UPI has proved him wrong.
Annamalai added, “Today, Thiru @KartiPC mocks a Northern Eastern State Assam & its CM Thiru @himantabiswa avl for their capability to attract an ₹40,000 Cr semiconductor processing plant. So, another failed challenge to the long list of failed challenges for the Father-Son duo in the making.”
The official spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) Telangana unit referred to the recent electoral defeat of former state chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and charged, “We had a son of the chief minister just like you. Now, he is in a farmhouse without power. To question is something legitimate, but arrogance and shamelessness will be answered with the ballot. By the way, your party is nonexistent in the Northeast due to the same arrogance.”
Meanwhile, social media users also raised questions about his statement and denounced him for the same. A popular handle named BefittingFacts commented, “To work as a labour? Dont think you are qualified enough to work as a labourer. You can open an Idli Dosa stall outside the factory.”
Neha S taunted the Congress MP about the charges of corruption levelled against him. “Why don’t you disclose the trick of making hundreds of crores from growing cabbage in pots? My kitchen garden has lots of space and I have around 20-30 pots with good soil that are ready to use. I think this facility is operational.”
“Remove Chidambaram from your surname, no one will even recognise you,” remarked one individual drawing attention to the Congressman’s nepotistic roots.
Another recalled the comments passed by the Congress leader and pointed out, “Even your papa once mocked about digital India. You didn’t learn from it.”
One person told the Lok Sabha MP to email his curriculum vitae (CV) to the Assam chief minister for the job. “Do mention your skill, I mean, other than being a gardener during the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) era,” he added.
Notably, Karti Chidambaram is the son of former Union Finance Minister in the Congress government and current Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram who took a jab at the present government’s ‘Digital India’ campaign in 2017.
Interestingly, the senior Chidambaram vehemently criticised the Modi government’s ‘Digital India’ program earlier in 2017 in a speech in Rajya Sabha by claiming that it was impossible to discuss a cashless economy in a rural area. “You go there and the people ask ‘What digital?’ It is very difficult to get away with a lie. The best way to do so is to utter the biggest lie.”
He further charged, “You speak about digitisation. First, teach that to the RBI. Every rupee has come back, except in Bhutan, Nepal and NRIs, whose money can’t come now, because you breached your promise to them,” arguing that the ambitious initiative of the central administration was bound for a massive failure.
Meanwhile, his predictions didn’t come to fruition and with 1,124 crore United Payments Interface (UPI) transactions in November this year, the nation’s digital payments through UPI surpassed the 11 Billion threshold for the second consecutive month. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) released data showing that these transactions were up 54% from the 730.95 crore transactions that the payments network registered in November 2022. Chidambaram had argued that small traders like vegetable sellers will never be able to accept cashless payments, but now every single roadside stall has small boards displaying their QR codes enabling them to receive payments via UPI.