BJP, Congress cross swords over PM Modi's semiconductor remark

New Delhi, Aug 15 (IANS) The BJP and the Congress on Friday crossed swords over the country's semiconductor production capabilities, a development that followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement in his Independence Day speech that the first 'Made in India' chip will be rolled out by the end of this year.

Amit Malviya, in-charge of BJP's National Information and Technology Department, launched a scathing attack on Congress MP and former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh after the latter dismissed PM Modi's announcement on the chip as a "big lie".

While Ramesh sought to credit the Congress government for setting up India's first semiconductor complex in Chandigarh in the early 1980s, Malviya hit out at the UPA government's alleged policy paralysis, due to which the nation lost an opportunity to allow Intel to set up a chip plant in 2007.

Attaching a new report with his post on X, Malviya wrote, "Relax, Jairam. You know nothing. Back in 2007, Intel was ready to set up a multi-billion-dollar chip plant in India. But the Congress-led UPA kept dragging its feet on a semiconductor policy. Result? Intel got frustrated, scrapped its India plans, and went to China and Vietnam instead."

In his I-Day speech, PM Modi recalled how attempts to set up semiconductor factories 50–60 years ago were "killed at birth" while other nations prospered.

From making India's first semiconductor chip to building jet engines, from tenfold nuclear expansion to a Rs 1 lakh crore youth employment push, PM Modi's message during his 12th I-Day speech was unambiguous: Bharat will define its own destiny, set its own terms, and aim to become a developed nation by 2047.

Ramesh earlier wrote on X, "The promise of a 'Made-in-India' semiconductor chip has been made countless times - each time with fanfare, each time without results. This promise was, in fact, made today with a big lie, which has become the hallmark of PM Modi, because India’s first semiconductor complex was already established in Chandigarh in the early 1980s."

--IANS

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