New Delhi, India

Bill Gates, in a recent podcast appearance, has made an explosive statement that is not sitting well with the Indians.

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Appearing on a podcast with Reid Hoffman, the tech mogul called India a "kind of laboratory to try things". His comment has left netizens fuming, with many calling him out for his "white privilege".

What exactly did Bill Gates say?

When asked by the podcast host about where he sees progress or momentum outside his industry that inspires him, Gates said: "India is an example of a country where there's plenty of things that are difficult there - the health, nutrition, education is improving and they are stable enough and generating their own government revenue enough that it's very likely that 20 years from now people will be dramatically better off and it's kind of a laboratory to try things that then when you prove them out in India, you can take to other places."

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"And so our biggest non-US office for the Foundation is in India and the most number of pilot roll out things we're doing anywhere in the world are with partners in India," he added.

Posting a snippet of the conversation, an X user wrote: "India is a laboratory, and we Indians are Guinea Pigs for Bill Gates. This person has managed everyone from the Government to opposition parties to the media. His office operates here without FCRA, and our education system has made him a hero! I don't know when we will wake up!"

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Many netizens joined the discussion comparing Bill Gates to George Soros — a philanthropist at the centre of many conspiracy theories— and the Rothschild family, a family that as per conspiracy theories secretly controls the world from behind the scenes.

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Others called on the Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ban him.

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Some users, however, defended Bill Gates and said "it's a positive thing".

"He is talking about developing positive things here that works everywhere. Like UPI [India's digital payments ecosystem] for example. It's a positive thing he is talking about," said one user.

"India is a complex country and if any human development program is successful here, there is a good chance it will succeed in many other places.  It will also give indians a lead in running development programs successfully," pointed out another.

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(With inputs from agencies)