Piyush Goyal defends 'dukandaari' remark at start-ups after facing backlash
What's the story
Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has defended his recent remarks on India's startup ecosystem that had drawn political backlash.
He said his "dukandaari hi karna hai?" question to Indian start-ups was taken out of context by the Congress party to create a misleading narrative.
Goyal clarified that he never intended to belittle the efforts of Indian startups, but rather to inspire them to aim higher and be more innovative.
Remarks
Congress is regular culprit: Goyal
"Congress, with their various handles, completely distorted my comments and my efforts to inspire our young startups to look for big aspirations," he said.
"Our young men and women are looking for a better life and striving to achieve world-class accomplishments. But the Congress party has an ecosystem-they tried to create a false and manufactured narrative. They are regular culprits. I am not worried about that."
Clarification
Goyal's comments on India's startup focus
At the second edition of Startup Mahakumbh last week, Goyal wondered if Indian startups were satisfied with just creating food delivery, fantasy sports, and betting apps.
He compared it with China, which, according to him, was pushing limits in EVs, semiconductors, batteries, and artificial intelligence.
In comparison, Goyal said India's existing startups are concentrating on food delivery apps and suggested that they were turning unemployed youths into cheap labor for the rich.
Criticism
Goyal's remarks on 'fancy ice creams'
Goyal also took aim at Indian startups that are specializing in luxury food items such as "fancy zero gluten-free ice creams" and cookies.
His remarks appeared to be an indirect reference to Boat CEO Aman Gupta's investment in the no-sugar ice cream brand Go Zero.
However, they weren't taken lightly by all in the startup community. Some argued such criticism was unwarranted considering the sector's contribution to India's economy.
Encouragement
Goyal's call for boldness and competition
In Goyal's defense, he had also lauded the rapid emergence of new businesses in India, calling it the world's third-largest startup ecosystem.
At one point, he asked the crowd, "Do we want to make ice creams or [semiconductor] chips? Dukaandari hi karna hai (Do we just want to sell things)?"
"We have to be willing to evolve and learn. [If] we want to be bigger and better, then we have to be bolder," the minister said.