Silicon Valley row: Piyush Goyal hits back at Karnataka minister, says Bengaluru suffers from state govt apathy

Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal

Union minister of commerce & industry Piyush Goyal on September 19 slammed Karnataka minister MB Patil, stating that Bengaluru is suffering due to the state government's apathy.

Responding to Patil's comment that "Bengaluru wasn’t built in a day; it took decades, even centuries," Goyal wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Rome was not built in a day, and the world did not stop building after that."

Goyal further said, "Great cities have emerged over time, such as Silicon Valley, New York, Bengaluru, and Mumbai, all products of a vision for the greater good," he wrote.

He said, "Silicon Valley in Bengaluru is suffering from the state government's failure to provide logistics support, quality infrastructure, and good roads, while the Central government continues to support the state, including the development of an industrial township in Tumakuru under the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor. The Hon’ble Minister @MBPatil ji and his Congress government should focus on transforming Tumakuru into a Silicon Valley rather than undermining India’s progress."

Also, read: Bengaluru is in India, says Karnataka minister to Piyush Goyal’s 'new Silicon Valley' pitch

Goyal said Tumakuru township has been left in limbo by a state government that has not resolved land issues. "The delays and lack of support from the state government have led many investors to shift their focus from Karnataka, resulting in a loss of thousands of jobs and crores of rupees in investments," he said.

"The government led by PM @NarendraModi ji has a vision and commitment to build modern city infrastructure across Bharat, unlike the Congress leadership, which often disparages the country's achievements even on foreign soil," Goyal said.

"Creating Smart Cities and Industrial Townships will help achieve our goal of Viksit Bharat 2047—the resolve of 140 crore Indians! Our government is working tirelessly to provide modern facilities, good social infrastructure, and to promote industrialization, attract investments, and create jobs for the youth of India," he stated.

Patil on September 18 criticised Goyal’s proposal for a new “Silicon Valley” in India, stating, “Bengaluru is in India. India is our country. Bengaluru wasn’t built in a day; it took decades, even centuries, to build Bengaluru.”

“You can build structures, roads, and infrastructure, but an ecosystem takes decades to develop. Bengaluru is the hub of India’s knowledge ecosystem,” Patil wrote on X.

Patil's remarks followed Goyal’s proposal for a dedicated township for startups and innovators.

“We should aspire to have our own Silicon Valley. While Bengaluru is proud to be known as the Silicon Valley of India, we should also consider partnering with the National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) to create new townships for entrepreneurs, startups, innovators, and disruptors,” Goyal had said.