Toy cluster my idea, claims Kumaraswamy

Bengaluru: A day after CM Yediyurappa performed the ground breaking ceremony for Koppal toy cluster, mainly aimed at outdoing the Chinese competition, JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy said that 'Compete with China' was formulated under his tenure.

"The concept was formulated when I was the CM as India wanted to take part in the global manufacturing market dominated by China. Yediyurappa has adopted the idea and launched the cluster," he said.

Elaborating further, Kumaraswamy reminded that though the State government said that it's launching a toy manufacturing unit under the central government's plan, the truth was that the plan was formulated under my tenure.

"China has a strong hold on the Rs 7 trillion global toy market. My government's vision was that even a small fraction of this could provide employment and income to our people. Congratulations to Yeddyurappa who is re-driving my project. During my government, there were many such programs," the former CM said.

Last year, amidst the Indo-China border face-off, Kumaraswamy in a series of tweets bathed his hands in the river of demand to boycott Chinese products and reminded the government about the idea 'Compete with China'.

The toy cluster, according to Yediyurappa intends to attract an investment of Rs 5,000 crore and generate direct and indirect employment for 1 lakh people in the region.

"The toy manufacturing industry is labour-oriented, and most workers are women. Hence, this cluster is a bold step towards empowering women," the CM said.