BENGALURU: AICC president and Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) chairman Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday criticized Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday for failure on the startup front.
He alleged that StartUp India had only become a vehicle to garner publicity for Prime Minister Modi.
Kharge, who was in Bengaluru, took to Twitter and said, “Modi govt is drumbeating and telling us to celebrate #NationalStartUpDay. But our startup entrepreneurs, creative people and jobless young have been pushed to the wall, since the launch of ‘Startup India’ in 2016 by PM Modi.’’
He said, “The Congress party wants to ask 3 direct questions. BJP promised Rs 20,000 crore for a Startup Seed Fund in its 2019 manifesto. REALITY: They have approved a pittance of Rs 525.27 Cr for it, that also for a 4-year period starting 2021-22.”
“Is it true that 1,00,000 people have lost jobs in startups in the last two years alone? We are not even counting the Covid-19 lockdown impact on them. No wonder the funding of Startups is now the lowest in 5 years! Why has the Modi Govt not provided Tax Benefits to 97.5% of recognized Startups? A meagre Rs 2,975 recognized Startups have been provided any kind of tax holiday by the GOI, despite promising it, in virtually every Budget," he said.
He summed up saying, “Startup India has only become a vehicle to garner publicity for PM, for it miserably falls short on delivery!’’