'Relentless favouritism towards Gujarat': Siddaramaiah accuses Modi of 'coax'ing away investments to home state

Siddaramaiah also slammed the silence of Karnataka's BJP MPs, who he has accused of being 'unwilling to question this blatant disregard for Karnataka’s thriving tech and manufacturing ecosystem.'

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a social media post on Saturday, where he accused the latter of showing "relentless favouritism towards Gujarat", which is also his home state.

"...major investments - from semiconductor plants to key manufacturing hubs - being coaxed away from thriving states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, and handed to Gujarat with exclusive subsidies and incentives," Siddaramaiah said in his post.

He also slammed the silence of Karnataka's BJP MPs, who he has accused of being "unwilling to question this blatant disregard for Karnataka’s thriving tech and manufacturing ecosystem."

He also said, "Instead, they allow Modi's ‘helicopter diplomacy’ to serve Gujarat alone, leaving our state sidelined."

'Helicopter diplomacy' comes from a 2022 accusation, when representatives of a US-based semiconductor company met the then Union Commerce Minister with an intention to set up a factory in Tamil Nadu.

However, soon after the meeting, they were allegedly whisked away to a location in Modi's home state of Gujarat in order to convince them to set up their project in the western state.

"Their silence is a betrayal of Karnataka’s interests. It’s time they break their silence, speak up for our state, and demand fairness and equal opportunity for Karnataka and all of South India," the Karnataka Chief Minister advised the BJP MPs of the state.

Earlier, NCP(SP) supremo Sharad Pawar had also accused Modi of moving projects to benefit his home state.

Addressing a poll rally in Baramati, Pawar had said Ratan Tata wanted the FAL and Airbus project to come up in Maharashtra, and in consultation with him, a 500-acre plot in the Nagpur MIDC area was marked for it.

“This was during the Manmohan Singh-led government, of which I was a part,” Pawar said. “Our government changed and when Modi became the PM, he called Tata and told him to set up the factory in Gujarat,” Pawar had claimed.

(With PTI inputs)