Ashneer Grover, former co-founder and managing director of BhartPe, on April 4 slammed Union minister Piyush Goyal and the government for “chiding today’s job creators”.
The former Shark Tank judge said politicians in India are the only ones who need a “reality check”, not others.
“The only people in India who need a ‘reality check’ are it’s politicians. Everyone else is living in the absolute reality of India,” he said in a post on X.
The only people in India who need a reality check are its politicians. Everyone else is living in the absolute reality of India.China also had food delivery first and then evolved to deep tech. Its great to aspire for what theyve done - maybe time for politicians to aspire pic.twitter.com/6WT8moviAz
Ashneer Grover (@Ashneer_Grover) April 4, 2025
Grover pointed out that China also began its tech revolution with food delivery firms.
“China also had food delivery first and then evolved to deep tech. It’s great to aspire for what they’ve done - maybe time for politicians to aspire for 10%+ economic growth rate for 20 years flat before chiding today’s job creators.”
“Maybe time to change ‘public discourse’ from history to science!,” Grover said in a tongue-in-cheek remark hinting at the recent political battles over Aurangzeb and other historical figures. “Thanks Minister sir for starting this healthy debate.”
Pai counters Goyal's attack: What has he done to help deep tech startups in India?
Grover's remarks come after former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai on April 3 strongly criticised Goyal for his comments on the Indian startup ecosystem and their ability to evolve quickly.
Minister Piyush Goyal should not belittle our startups but ask himself what has he done as our Minister to help deep tech start ups grow in India? It is easy to point fingers at them. We have a hostile Finance Minister who harassed start ups on Angel tax for many years, do not allow endowments to invest, insurance cos still do not invest whereas they do globally," Pai wrote in a post on X.
Fancy brands by billionaires’ kids are not startups, says minister Piyush Goyal
Goyal, in a sharp critique of the Indian startup ecosystem, urged startups to re-evaluate their purpose and true value and aim for international prominence.
Indian startups came under intense scrutiny as Goyal questioned whether the country was settling for low-paying gig jobs while China raced ahead in deep-tech innovation.
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