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Tharoor Breaks Ranks, Defends AI Summit as Modi Charts Global Tech Push

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has publicly defended the Bharat AI Impact Summit, calling minor organizational lapses "small errors" and praising the event's global scale. His stance breaks from his party's leadership, as Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge had criticized the summit's shortcomings. Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the platform to advocate for equitable AI access for the Global South and called for legal safeguards and data ownership. The summit successfully brought together 119 countries, with France's President Macron praising India's digital inclusion efforts, marking a diplomatic win.

Key Points: Tharoor Backs India AI Summit Amid Congress Criticism

  • Tharoor breaks party line
  • Summit faced Congress criticism
  • Modi pushes for equitable AI access
  • 119 countries participated
  • India steered global consensus
2 min read

Tharoor breaks ranks, backs India's AI summit as PM Modi charts global push

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor defends Bharat AI Summit, praising its global success as PM Modi advocates for equitable AI access.

"Such incidents can occur at large programmes. There is no need to magnify them. - Shashi Tharoor"

New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 20 CWC member Shashi Tharoor has broken ranks with his party to defend the ongoing Bharat AI Impact Summit, calling minor lapses "small errors" and praising the event as a global success.

Speaking ahead of his address at the venue on Friday, senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, "Such incidents can occur at large programmes. There is no need to magnify them. The summit is noteworthy because of the scale of public participation."

The summit, underway in the national Capital, has faced criticism from Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who questioned organisational shortcomings and flagged controversies such as the display of a Chinese-made robot under the 'Make in India' banner.

Tharoor, however, emphasised India's leadership role in shaping global AI discussions and urged a focus on the summit's larger diplomatic and technological significance.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the platform to highlight equitable access to AI for the Global South.

He advocated an approach of "opening the skies for AI while retaining regulatory control," stressing that the technology must be shared widely rather than concentrated in the hands of a few corporations or countries.

PM Modi called for legal safeguards for women and children, national ownership of data, and mandatory disclosure for AI-generated content.

A plenary session, reflecting India's proposals, brought together leaders from 119 countries, including 20 heads of state and 45 ministers.

French President Emmanuel Macron lauded India's efforts to bring 1.4 billion citizens into the digital network.

Compared to the last summit in France, which exposed deep divisions over AI regulation, India successfully steered discussions toward consensus and produced a cohesive vision document.

Tharoor's intervention highlights a rare moment of divergence from the party line, with Congress leaders voicing criticism while he emphasises the summit's achievements.

His remarks, coupled with the scale of international participation and India's strategic digital vision, position him at the centre of attention as the country showcases its leadership in AI on the global stage.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul R
I appreciate Tharoor's balanced view, but the criticism about the Chinese robot under 'Make in India' is valid. It's a serious oversight that shouldn't be brushed aside as a 'small error'. We need to be more careful about our branding and self-reliance message.
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Aman W
PM Modi's point about AI for the Global South is crucial. For too long, tech has been controlled by a few Western nations. If India can lead in making AI accessible and regulated for everyone's benefit, that's a huge win for our foreign policy. 👏
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Sarah B
As someone working in tech, the consensus and vision document are the real achievements. The France summit was a mess. Getting 119 countries to agree on anything related to AI is a diplomatic masterstroke. The organizational glitches are just noise.
K
Karthik V
Tharoor sahab always speaks sense. Sometimes we are our own worst critics. When Macron himself is praising our digital network, we should feel proud. Let's focus on the big picture – India is now a serious player in deciding the future of technology.
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Nidhi U
Good to see the emphasis on safeguards for women and children and data ownership. These are the issues that matter to ordinary Indians. Hope the vision document translates into strong laws soon. The summit's success should be measured by its impact on our safety.

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