PM Modi has taken 'bold decisions' to combat terrorism, says HD Deve Gowda
New Delhi, May 6 (PTI): Former prime minister HD Deve Gowda on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken "bold decisions" to combat terrorism following the April 22 Pahalgam attack and affirmed his and his party's support for all the decisions to end the menace.
"We need to teach the terrorists a lesson. This is the first time that a prime minister has taken such bold steps. No prime minister has given such supreme authority to the army," Deve Gowda said at a press conference.
The Janata Dal (Secular) leader noted Modi implemented several measures, including granting full operational freedom to the Indian Armed Forces to determine the mode, targets and timing of their response.
Founded by Deve Gowda, the Janata Dal (Secular) is a constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. His son HD Kumaraswamy is a minister in the Union government.
Deve Gowda noted that the current situation could not be compared to the 1971 war between India and Pakistan, describing them as "different scenarios".
The former prime minister also welcomed the Centre's decision to enumerate caste in the upcoming general census while hitting out at the caste survey conducted in Karnataka.
"Karnataka is indulging in politics in the name of caste census. Even Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's Cabinet does not agree with the caste census conducted in the state," he said.
Deve Gowda said the Karnataka survey had identified 1,351 castes and sub-castes, with the Kurubas being among the prominent backward communities.
He also questioned Siddaramaiah's commitment to his AHINDA platform. "How many staff has he hired from backward communities or his own Kuruba community in his own office?"
The Karnataka caste survey report has recommended reclassifying the Kuruba community from category 2A to the more backward 1B category, reflecting its socio-economic status.
AHINDA represents a significant portion of Karnataka's population, including religious minorities (Muslims and Christians), Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
