BENGALURU: Responding to the row over his statements regarding the BJP allegedly diverting investments meant for Karnataka to Gujarat and Assam under pressure from the Centre, and his purported remark that there is no talent in the Northeastern state, Karnataka Minister for RDPR, IT and BT Priyank Kharge clarified that the BJP and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma are twisting his words.
Taking to social media platform X on Tuesday, Minister Kharge further hit back, calling Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma a “third-rate crook, ” in response to Sarma’s remark describing Kharge as a “first-class idiot.” The exchange is likely to further intensify the war of words between the two leaders.
Priynak Kharge stated, "As usual, the BJP and CM Himanta Biswa Sarma are twisting my words. My statement is clear and very specific, it was about how semiconductor companies were being pressured to set up in Gujarat and Assam, even when they had expressed a clear interest in Karnataka because of our engineering talent and established ecosystem."