Habit for some people to speak taking an anti-Karnataka stand: Priyank Kharge slams Mohandas Pai
Bengaluru, Nov 29: Information Technology industry veteran T V Mohandas PaI's post on social media about Hyderabad's potential in dethroning Bengaluru from its exalted IT city status, has elicited a rebuke from the state government with Minister Priyank Kharge stating that it has become a habit for some people to speak taking an anti-Karnataka stand.
Kharge, the Minister for IT & BT, on Wednesday said, not a single company, which has come to the negotiation table of the Government of Karnataka, has left the state.
Pai earlier today in a post on 'X' tagging Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said, "Will Hyderabad Dethrone Bangalore's IT Status? Continued neglect of Bengaluru by successive govts over last 10 years has led to this. Hope govt shows more energy to improve city."
Interestingly the tweet came on a day, when the city is hosting the 'Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS)', the annual global tech event promoted and organised by the state government.
"I feel that Mohandas Pai or anyone else might be lacking information. Not a single company who has come to the negotiation table of the Government of Karnataka, has left Karnataka. This has become a habit for some people to speak taking an anti-Karnataka stand," Kharge said.
Speaking to reporters he said, "Is Amazon not here? Are other companies not here? Tell which company has left Bengaluru? Some companies invest in Mumbai and Hyderabad too along with Bengaluru. Let him show a single company that has left after discussing or signing an agreement with us."
Noting that he doesn't know whether it is politically motivated, the Minister said, "but doing it repeatedly is not right."
Further noting that Pai too is a venture capitalist, Kharge asked him whether he is investing everything in Bengaluru.
"Won't he support startups in Delhi, Chennai? He will do it for the profit of his company, right? It is called diversification of investments. If he does diversification of investment and it is right, but if others do it, is it wrong?" he said.
Not wanting to comment on a question linking Pai's post to Assembly polls in Telangana, he said, "it is his personal matter, but being a Kannadiga, instead of speaking in favour of Kannadigas, if you fire the bullet in the air, what's the use?"
"My straight question is that -- show me one company that we have lost out. I can give you examples of us getting investments from other states, can he give one example of investment going out from here?" Kharge asked.
Stating that the government always consults people who have contributed to the growth of Bengaluru and IT industry while framing policies, as they are the experts, the Minister said, what can be done if one indulges only in criticism instead of constructive criticism.
"Wasn't he (Pai) part of the vision groups (earlier)? What happened then? I don't want to blame individuals, but it's not right if wrong information goes to the public," he added.
Pai had last month said that Kaynes Technology has commenced its Rs 2,800 crore OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test) plant construction in Telangana, setting aside its earlier plan to set up at Mysuru, due to a delay in response by the state government.
"Sad day for Karnataka. We have driven away one of our best cos from Mysore because of lethargy and lack of response, why are we driving away our industry? How will jobs come.....Karnataka should not lose out," he had posted.
Industries Minister M B Patil had then responded to Pai stating that there is not even a minor lapse by the government in responding to the company's proposal.
Will Hyderabad Dethrone Bangalore’s IT Status? continued neglect of Bengaluru by successive govts over last 10 years has led to this. Hope govt shows more energy to improve city @CMofKarnataka @siddaramaiah @DKShivakumar https://t.co/sG4uCv6edK
— Mohandas Pai (@TVMohandasPai) November 29, 2023
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Rajnath to top commanders: Outmaneuver adversaries with strategic surprise
Jaipur/New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday directed the top military commanders of the three services to integrate an "element of surprise" into modern warfare to outmaneuver India's adversaries and bolster strategic posture.
In his address at the joint commanders conference in Jaipur, Singh also described the Operation Sindoor as a testament to the "swift, precise, and joint response" of the Indian armed forces to safeguard national interests and called upon the military to remain ready to deal with any security challenges.
In their two-day deliberations, the commanders carried out a comprehensive review of the combat preparedness of the military in the wake of the evolving regional security situation.
Operation Sindoor was a demonstration of India's growing capabilities and a symbol of the nation's collective resolve and new military ethos, Singh said, a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
He also unveiled a 'Joint Doctrine for Integrated Communication Architecture' that is aimed at strengthening doctrinal clarity, interoperability and integrated communications across the armed forces in future multidomain operations.
The joint commanders' conference, themed 'Military Capability in New Domains', brought together the top leadership of the defence ministry and the three services to deliberate on emerging security challenges and future readiness.
Comprehensive deliberations were held on future warfare, multidomain operations, technological transformation and joint capability development.
The conference witnessed extensive discussions on cognitive warfare, cyber resilience against evolving quantum and AI-enabled threats, military capability development in emerging domains, indigenous innovation and AI-enabled warfighting concepts.
It was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh among others.
In his remarks, Singh asked the commanders to remain "future-ready" by learning from the operation as well as the current global security landscape.
He underscored the need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks to stay prepared in the rapidly evolving geopolitical security scenario. He emphasised that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains, according to an official readout.
Highlighting the transformative impact of emerging technologies, Singh stressed on the importance of ensuring integrated national preparedness across all spectrums of conflict, it said.
Singh's remarks at the conference came a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
The defence minister appreciated the progress achieved in enhancing jointness, integration and technological adoption across the three services, the readout noted.
Singh said that jointness constitutes a pivotal dimension within the transformative changes sweeping across the global defence sector.
"Future wars will not be won solely through weaponry, but through innovative thinking and enhanced synergy," he said.
The defence minister exhorted the commanders to cultivate the "element of surprise" to remain unpredictable to the nation's adversaries and secure a strategic edge in any given situation.
He, however, urged them to remain vigilant of the element of surprise of the enemy and always stay two steps ahead.
Singh also reiterated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the defence forces through state-of-the-art weapons and platforms. He added that special focus is being laid on research in niche domains.
During the conference, he released a documentary film on Operation Sindoor.
The film reaffirms the nation's and defence forces' commitment to operational preparedness and decisive national response capabilities.
Demonstrations of advanced systems and platforms developed for intelligence fusion, operational planning and information management were also showcased during the conference reflecting growing integration of cutting-edge technologies into joint operational structures, according to the defence ministry.
The discussions will contribute significantly towards shaping India's future military transformation and integrated operational preparedness, it said.
