Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal took a swipe at CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke while discussing ways to attract Indian scientists and researchers working abroad back to the country during an interaction with Indian science and technology students in Berlin.
Goyal referred to China’s state-sponsored programmes that recruit scientists, researchers and technology experts from overseas to strengthen domestic innovation and reverse brain drain.
He called the initiative useful but said India would need to account for the differences between dictatorship and democracy when designing similar policies.
“If we do this, then people like Abhijeet Dipke will come and say that it was the government’s job to fund the students, grant scholarships, so why should we do it on our own,” Goyal said, adding that such criticism could complicate policymaking.
He also joked about the risks of misuse in government-funded programmes, saying that in China, people feared they could “just disappear”, while in India, “If someone misuses it in India, I will disappear.”
The minister urged students to suggest ideas to encourage Indian talent overseas to return, saying the decision was not always driven by economic factors and that people also had a connection to their homeland.
Goyal’s remarks came amid protests by Dipke’s CJP over alleged voter-list manipulation during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The group had earlier protested a medical entrance exam paper leak.
Goyal is visiting Germany and the Netherlands from October 22 to 27, accompanied by around 100 Indian businesses and startups.
During a separate Berlin event, he also criticised Europe’s climate record, arguing that developed economies had contributed heavily to global carbon emissions.
