No Freebies, BJP Has Done Politics of Devpt in K’taka; Social Media, Tech Here to Stay: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, while speaking at the ‘Policy Next – The Big Karnataka Resurgence’, a flagship of event of Moneycontrol, in Bengaluru — the Silicon Valley of India – said that social media and digital media conversations are a lot more influential than conventional news platforms. Commenting on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s campaign in Karnataka, he said that “the BJP is very clear about ourselves as a political party, nothing that the BJP in Karnataka has ever done has ever discriminated”.

“The ruling BJP will comfortably retain power and can win a minimum of 130 seats and a maximum of 224 seats,” he said.

The state’s legislative assembly has 224 seats. “The voters will not prefer a Congress-JD(S) combine government, and they would instead vote for a stable government headed by the BJP,” he added.

ON THE CONGRESS

Targetting the Congress’s stance in the upcoming Karnataka elections, he said: “The BJP is running a crystal clear campaign, when a political party starts playing fuzzy football doing appeasement, we have a problem with that. The BJP is very clear about ourselves as a political party, nothing that BJP in Karnataka has ever done has ever discriminated.”

“The BJP has not done any freebie politics. We do development politics…People want a better future, and are not looking for handouts. Buying your votes by giving crumbs is the politics of the 70s.”

When a party mentions banning an organisation in their manifesto, “we will stand up to that”, Chandrasekhar said, in an apparent reference to the Congress’s manifesto, which states potential action against groups like Popular Front of India (PFI) and Bajrang Dal.

ON TECH PROGRESS & GOVERNANCE

“In 2015, when PM Modi launched Digital India, he said I want technology to transform the life of Indians. I want it to impact democracy… To expand the economy, create more opportunities for entrepreneurship. He had said India needs to move from being a consumer of tech to a producer of tech,” he said.

He recalled: “Earlier, the Indian governance was slow. The Chinese even perpetuated an argument that large countries like India needed an authoritarian system. Democracies could not deliver because of a corrosive super structure. This was the narrative about India. Fast forward, in the past nine years, using tech, we have turned the narrative on its head. Rs 100 meant for a beneficiary reaches him directly, instead of the earlier Rs 15. It typifies the power of technology in context of a country like India. Aadhaar or UPI have become the centre of a robust system.”

Chandrasekhar added: “India Stack is earning awe, respect of countries across the world…Who would have thought decisions taken to solve government problems will spawn into an ecosystem of this size…The Global India Stack conference will be held in June, where many countries will participate. We have seen Digital India 1.0 and over the next few months, we will press the pedal even further… India Stack with India AI will enable us to create India Stack 2.0 and complete and accelerate digitilisation. The government intends to use AI. We expect the Stack to be much more smarter…Citizen and governance partnership have an effect on innovation ecosystem.”

ON START-UPS & NEXT WAVE

“Technology has a key role in the ‘New India’ which PM Modi is building…Technology has a role in governance, in creating enlightened citizens. The use of technology has further deepened public’s trust in the government,” he said.

“It is an absolutely great time to be a start-up,” Chandrasekhar said. It is the “easiest thing today”, the IT minister stated, as he made reference to the government’s focus on ease of doing business and reduction in compliances.

“The next wave in Karnataka and Bengaluru will be electronic manufacturing, electronic design and AI among others. In 2014, revenue from electronic manufacturing was at Rs 1 lakh crore, in 10 years, it is going to be Rs 27 lakh crore. I want Karnataka and Bengaluru to get a big chunk of it,” the minister added.

Moneycontrol, through its Policy Next series, is building a space for nuanced conversations on India’s political economy and issues shaping the nation. The Karnataka Chapter, titled – The Big Karnataka Resurgence – deep-dived into the opportunities and challenges for the state of Karnataka.

Read all the Latest Politics News and Karnataka Elections 2023 updates here