A heated Twitter exchange between Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Karnataka’s IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge escalated further on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. What began as a debate over the placement of semiconductor manufacturing facilities has quickly transformed into a robust political confrontation, with Kharge labeling Sarma’s remarks as “politically charged.”
Kharge leveraged an old X (formerly Twitter) post from March 2024 by Chief Minister Sarma, where Sarma himself acknowledged that a significant number of Assamese youth were receiving training in Bengaluru. Kharge used this to underscore Bengaluru’s established tech infrastructure.
“Dear CM @himantabiswa, I trust you recall your comments last year regarding Assam’s talent pool. By your own admission, thousands of Assamese are being trained right here in Bengaluru. I’m proud that Karnataka’s robust ecosystem can support the aspirations of Assam’s youth. A simple ‘thank you’ would have been far more appropriate than these fiercely partisan remarks,” Kharge’s direct message on X read.
This sharp retort from Kharge followed an incident on Monday, October 27, 2025, where Chief Minister Sarma, addressing the media, had publicly dismissed Kharge as “a first-class idiot.”
The ‘Insult to Assamese Youth’ Accusation
The public spat originated when Kharge alleged in a media interview that the Central government was unfairly pressuring semiconductor firms to redirect investments, initially earmarked for Karnataka, towards Assam and Gujarat – both states governed by the BJP. He openly questioned the availability of adequate talent in these states for such specialized industries.
In a swift counter-attack, Chief Minister Sarma accused Kharge of demeaning Assam’s youth. “He claimed that Assam lacks educated, capable young people. That is a direct affront to every Assamese youth,” Sarma asserted to reporters.
Allegations of Twisted Words
Kharge quickly clarified, stating that the Assam Chief Minister and the BJP were deliberately misrepresenting his comments. “My statement was unequivocally clear and precise: it concerned the undue pressure exerted on semiconductor companies to establish operations in Gujarat and Assam, despite their pronounced preference for Karnataka, given our exceptional engineering talent and well-developed ecosystem,” he posted on X.
He went on to criticize Assam’s development progress, noting that after almost a decade under BJP governance, the state still lags in key development metrics such as health, education, and economic growth. “Instead of attempting to obscure his own shortcomings by politicizing my remarks, the Chief Minister should seriously evaluate his contributions to the youth of his state. Why are so many compelled to leave Assam in search of employment?” Kharge questioned.
Congress communications chief Ramesh Babu publicly backed Kharge, denouncing Sarma’s language as an “insult to the people of Karnataka, Kannadigas, and the Dalit community.”
The ‘Dynasty’ Counter-Attack
On October 27, Amit Malviya, who leads the BJP’s National IT Department, also joined the fray, launching an attack on Kharge. Malviya held him accountable for Karnataka’s missed opportunities, stating, “Under the self-proclaimed Minister of Electronics, IT & BT, Karnataka has foregone Google’s substantial $15 billion data center investment, which ultimately went to Vizag. Furthermore, two multi-billion dollar semiconductor projects have opted for Assam and Gujarat over Karnataka. Yet, Kharge Junior, whose educational background remains ambiguous (a 12th-pass or perhaps 10th-pass, according to his varying affidavits!), astonishingly claims that other states lack talent! What, precisely, is his own talent, beyond being the progeny of a merely ceremonial Congress President?” Malviya posted on X, injecting a personal and dynastic jab into the debate.
Kharge quickly retaliated, asserting that Gujarat’s success in attracting the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem was solely due to the Prime Minister’s alleged practice of ‘poaching’ investments and investors originally destined for Karnataka, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu.
He further highlighted internal dissent, noting, “Even one of your own NDA ministers publicly questioned the rationality of allocating a $2 billion subsidy for a project that would create a mere 5,000 jobs—amounting to approximately ₹3.2 crore per job! Where exactly does Gujarat receive this extraordinary ‘divine support’?” Kharge continued, “By the way, your constant ‘dynasty’ criticisms are growing tiresome. If you possess genuine courage, I challenge you to initiate your anti-dynasty campaign within your own party, perhaps starting with the Karnataka BJP Chief and his brother, or even the Defence Minister’s relatives. Finally, if your ‘non-biological paw-paw’ can supposedly enjoy ‘Parmatma’s krupa’ for technological advancements, why can’t I? Think about it,” he concluded his fiery post on X.