New Delhi, Aug 16 (NationPress) BJP leader Amit Malviya intensified his criticism of the Congress party on Saturday, accusing them of neglecting the semiconductor production sector during their time in power over the years.

He referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statements made during the Independence Day speech at the historic Red Fort, where he mentioned that attempts to establish semiconductor factories 50–60 years ago were 'stifled at inception'. Malviya claimed that the only chip manufacturing unit established under the Congress administration in Mohali, Punjab, met a slow demise due to governmental indifference following a fire incident in 1989—merely five years post-launch.

In a social media update titled ‘The most tragic chapter in India’s tech history: Semiconductor Complex Ltd, Mohali’, Malviya recounted the incident from 1989 when a mysterious blaze devastated the SCL Mohali facility.

“The investigation yielded no clear answers, but suspicions of foul play persisted. Consequently, India’s semiconductor aspirations went up in flames. What ensued was far worse—years of political negligence and bureaucratic indifference, with plans for revival and funding stymied,” stated Malviya, who oversees the BJP's National Information and Technology Department.

He also shared an excerpt from an old parliamentary inquiry where the then Minister of State for Science and Technology, K.R. Narayanan, indicated that the preliminary estimate for the losses incurred due to the fire at SCL was approximately Rs 60 crore.

Narayanan further detailed the impact of the fire, noting that the unit employed around 850 staff members, with about half of them affected by the incident.

Malviya's recent critique of the Congress regarding the country's semiconductor requirements follows a heated exchange with Congress MP and former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh on the topic.

In response to PM Modi’s announcement during the Independence Day speech that the first 'Made in India' chip will launch by year-end, Ramesh sought to credit the previous Congress government for initiating India's first semiconductor complex in the early 1980s.

He posted on X, “The promise of a 'Made-in-India' semiconductor chip has been made countless times - each time with fanfare, each time without results. This promise was, in fact, made today with a big lie, which has become the hallmark of PM Modi, because India’s first semiconductor complex was already established in Chandigarh in the early 1980s.”

On Saturday, Malviya expressed gratitude to PM Modi for recognizing semiconductor production as a critical sector.

“Today, under PM Modi’s guidance, India is reviving its chip ambitions. Those who are impatient should remember—semiconductors are among the toughest and most strategic industries to establish. Progress has been made, and much more is on the horizon,” concluded Malviya in his post on X.