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‘Such elements will come and mess with our heads’: Piyush Goyal takes jab at Abhijeet Dipke

hellohimachalse@gmail.com 24 Oct 2026 52 min ago

New Delhi: Union Minister Piyush Goyal took a swipe at CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke during an interaction with Indian science and technology research students in Berlin on attracting overseas talent back to India.

Asked whether India could adopt a programme similar to China’s state-backed recruitment of scientists and researchers, Goyal said democratic considerations would shape any such policy.

Goyal targets Dipke

“It’s a good initiative but then comes the difference between dictatorship and democracy,” he said.

“…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. Am I right or wrong? Unfortunately, such elements will come and mess with our heads. So we have to calibrate our policies from the point of view of our democracy,” Goyal said.

The remarks came amid CJP protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged voter-list manipulation during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

Appeal to researchers

Goyal asked students to suggest ways to encourage Indian researchers abroad to return. He said financial incentives were not the only consideration and urged them to retain a place for their homeland in their future plans. He also stressed the need for safeguards against misuse of government-funded initiatives.

Goyal is on an official visit to Germany and the Netherlands from October 22 to 27, accompanied by representatives of about 100 Indian businesses and startups.

Europe’s climate record questioned

At a separate question-and-answer session during the Berlin Global Dialogue 2026, Goyal challenged developed countries over their role in the climate crisis.

“Who’s responsible for this mess in the first place? Where did this ozone layer get damaged? Who sent all that carbon up there?” he asked.

When another panellist replied, “All of us”, Goyal disagreed.

He said India supported 17 per cent of the world’s population but contributed less than 3 per cent of carbon emissions. He argued that Europe’s contribution was far greater despite its smaller population. Goyal also criticised Europe’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and steel import barriers. He said developed economies had relied on coal for cheap energy during their growth and warned that their trade policies could increase living costs.

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