PM Modi pressured to hand over Indian data to foreign power: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi (PTI): Asserting that data is the petrol which fuels the AI engine, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday claimed that with the Indo-US interim trade deal, India will struggle to safely store the data of 1.5 billion Indians, and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been pressured to hand over the country's prime resource to a foreign power.
In a post on X, Gandhi said the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution is here – bringing both threats and opportunities.
"Our IT and services sector, a shining star of our economy, is at risk, and thousands of software engineers and professionals will lose their livelihoods if we do not prepare for the storm that is coming," he claimed, adding that there are opportunities too.
"Data is the petrol which fuels the AI engine. As I said in Parliament, India's greatest asset is our brilliant people - and the enormous data we create," he said.
Noting that in a few days, the government is hosting a grand AI Summit, Gandhi said it should have been an opportunity for India to assert leadership - to demonstrate how a country of 1.4 billion people can use its data to shape the global AI future on our own terms.
"Instead, a helpless PM Modi has surrendered to the US 'chokehold' in the trade deal. Under the pretext of 'clearing barriers to digital trade', every move to use our data for our own benefit will be opposed," he said.
Already, large foreign companies enjoy a near monopoly on our data through Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Youtube, Amazon, Android, etc., and with this deal, India will struggle to safely store the data of 1.5 billion Indians in India, get transparency in their source codes and algorithms and tax the profits they make using our data, the Congress leader claimed.
"It's a shame that our prime minister has been pressured to hand over India's prime resource to a foreign power," he alleged.
Earlier, participating in the debate on the Union Budget in Lok Sabha, Gandhi said that at the centre of this fight is the concept of AI.
"Everybody says that we are moving into the era of AI. I would like to warn the government that AI is going to have many, many consequences. One consequence of AI is going to be that something that we relied on, the Congress party and the UPA built the entire Indian IT industry, companies like Infosys, companies that are at the forefront of information technology are going to struggle, they are going to be challenged," he said.
The idea of becoming a software engineer, which is a very popular idea in India, is going to be challenged, he said.
"Lots of our software engineers are going to be replaced by AI. So, why I am saying this is, we are moving into a turbulent world, a dangerous world," he said.
"Now, when you move into a dangerous world, what is the first thing that you have to understand? What are your strengths, as a person and as a nation. So, I would like to say to the House, what I think are the strengths of our great country and I would say the central strength is our people - 1.4 billion people, brilliant, energetic, dynamic, who can challenge anybody in the world, they are our biggest strength.
"But, it's not only the people, because in the 21st century, a very interesting thing has happened – people create data. So, we have the biggest data pool on the planet – 1.4 billion people means a massive amount of data is being generated in India, and data is wealth," Gandhi said.
He added that everybody talks about AI, but talking about AI is like talking about the internal combustion engine without talking about petrol.
"The petrol for AI is data – meaning, if you have AI and you don't have data, you have nothing. Now, which are the two biggest pools of data on the planet - the Indian pool and the Chinese pool. They (China) also have 1.4 billion people; we have a bigger population than them. We allow more freedom, we allow our people to do more dynamic things, so we have, in fact, more interesting data," he said.
If the Americans want to remain a superpower and if they want to protect their dollar, the key to that is Indian data, he said.
"Why? Because the Chinese have a data pool of 1.4 billion people and you take European data, you can take African data, you can take American data – add it all up – still it does not compete with Chinese data," Gandhi said.
"So, the real fight that is taking place. I am saying – what are our strengths? I am saying – if India goes to the table, what do we put on the table, what do we say? Listen, this is what we put on the table and it's beautiful.
“What we put on the table is our people, their wisdom, what they do, their likes, dislikes, their imagination, their fear... This suddenly has got value in the 21st century, which it didn’t in the 20th century," he said.
“I remember so many people saying that population is a weight, population is a disaster. No! Population is the biggest asset you can have. It's a strength, but it's only a strength, if you recognise that data is important," he said.
The Congress leader also claimed that as part of the deal with the US, India gives up control over its digital trade rules, there is no need for data localisation, there would be free data flow to the United States, a limit on digital tax and there would be no need to disclose any source code.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
