Leading Doctor Calls Indian Govt's Decision To Block BYD As 'Promoting Mediocrity'

The Indian government has again blocked Chinese electric car major BYD from making a factory here. This move has triggered varied responses from people who closely follow the electric vehicle (EV) space. A hepatologist from Kochi, who goes by the handle 'TheLiverDoc' on Instagram has criticised the governmental move sharply by calling it one that 'cancels standards and promotes mediocrity.'

TheLiverDoc has over 2,92,400 followers on X (previously Twitter). On April 9, 2025, he reshared a post made by the page' Indian Tech And Infra'. The post showed the image of a BYD factory and had the caption: ' India will restrict market access to BYD. “India has to be cautious about its strategic interests and who we allow to invest," says Piyush Goyal.' The doctor left a sharp note in the caption which reads:

'This is a typical Indian way of doing things. Whether it be healthcare and medicine, science and technology, business and development, politics and public infrastructure. When you cannot stand up to quality and standards, cancel the standards and promote mediocrity as the new standard. India has never had true leadership. A great country destroyed through generations of politics and corruption. Sad that I won't see her rise in my lifetime.'

These remarks have sparked varied reactions among X users. Many criticized the doctor for the sharp words. Some even called it ruinism. A comment, for example, said 'People from states or cities starting from word K (Kochi, Kerala, Karnataka)..won't ever miss a chance to demote the current govt.whether they do good or great. It just doesn't matter. Ruinism is in the blood.'

The doctor made a strong comeback by saying ' Hey unpad. Where did I mention specific government. I have said all governance. Go back to school or come to the states with K with high literacy....we love educating dodos like you.' And the fight could be intensifying as you read!

Another comment says 'The unfortunate reality is that we can only protect our companies within our domestic markets. Globally, however, we’re losing ground because of this protectionist mindset.'

There are people who go vocal about the backdoor control and conspiracy theories in the comments. 'Rejecting BYD is not rejecting quality. It is rejecting backdoor control, data risks, and economic imbalance. BYD is not a gold standard. It is China’s extended arm. India is not scared of quality. It is done being played.' said a user.

Some comments also suspected that the government's decision to keep BYD away could have to do with making things easier for Tesla here. The thread is still being populated with more opinions and comments.

BYD's India Factory Ambitions: The Context

In 2024, the Chinese EV giant had expressed its interest to invest $1 billion in a manufacturing facility in India through a local partnership. The government said a strict no to the same. It was also the time when India- China relationship was getting rocky. The government cited national security and strategic concerns as reasons for its decision. More recently, there were rumours of BYD scouting for land near Hyderabad for an upcoming factory, which the carmaker later dismissed.

However, speaking at the India Global Forum in Mumbai, commerce minister Piyush Goyal said that the government will not welcome investments from countries like China. Interestingly, this came on the same day when U.S. President Donald Trump slapped heavy tariffs on imports from China.

Previously, the Chinese government had also announced an extreme protectionist policy for their electric vehicle technology by asking manufacturers to stop setting up factories and making investments in countries outside of mainland China.