If I wanted to, I could’ve taken several MLAs to Delhi with me: DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar has said there is no disagreement between him and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. He was responding to questions from reporters near Sadashivanagar on Sunday.
When asked whether the recent breakfast meeting between him and the Chief Minister marks a new beginning in the party, Shivakumar said they are working together and must meet the expectations of the people of Karnataka. He added that the party’s next goal is the 2028 Assembly election.
He made it clear that he has never encouraged group politics. If he wanted to, he could have taken several MLAs along with him to Delhi, but he chose not to. As party president, he said, it is his duty to take everyone along and treat all 140 Congress MLAs equally. Shivakumar also recalled that he had worked with full commitment in the past with H.D. Kumaraswamy and said his loyalty was known to Kumaraswamy's father as well. He said some statements may be made due to personal reasons, but he does not take them to heart.
When asked about his discussions with K.C. Venugopal, he said he has spoken to many leaders but would not reveal those conversations publicly. On BJP’s criticism that he is acting like a “super CM,” Shivakumar said the BJP makes such comments only to stay visible as an opposition party.
Responding to a question on whether his trip to Delhi was politically motivated, he said discussions with MPs are needed on issues such as irrigation, maize prices and sugarcane. He suggested that an all-party meeting should be held in Delhi so that all MPs can attend. He added that ministers from Karnataka should also be part of these discussions.
Asked about Minister Priyank Kharge meeting Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi, Shivakumar dismissed any political angle, saying it was simply a meeting between father and son. He said Priyank had introduced new AI technology and was called to Delhi to explain it, adding that not every meeting should be seen as political.
Shivakumar also said arrangements are ready for the foundation-laying ceremony of the new Congress office, and dates are being finalised. On BJP’s plan to move a no-confidence motion in the Assembly, he said he welcomes it.
When asked about his visits to temples, he said prayer is part of personal discipline and not a political exercise. He added that he visits temples, mosques, churches and Jain basadis for peace of mind and follows the traditions taught by elders.
On his popular line that “efforts may fail, but prayers never fail,” Shivakumar said he stands by it, even if people try to twist its meaning.
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Ambani, Adani pledge USD 210 bn for India's AI push
New Delhi (PTI): Conglomerates run by billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani committed USD 210 billion investment to creating infrastructure that will help India emerge as an AI development hub.
At the India AI Impact Summit, Ambani announced a Rs 10 lakh crore (about USD 110 billion) investment in artificial intelligence over the next seven years in gigawatt-scale AI-ready data centres in Jamnagar, leveraging up to 10 GW of green power surplus, and a nationwide edge-compute layer integrated with telecom and digital operator Jio's networks to deliver low-latency AI across India.
"Our resolve is clear: make intelligence as ubiquitous as connectivity," he said. "When compute becomes infrastructure, innovation will become inevitable."
Adani, on the other hand, unveiled a USD 100-billion investment to develop renewable-energy-powered, hyperscale AI-ready data centres by 2035 -- one of the world's largest integrated energy-compute commitments.
The initiative is expected to catalyse an additional USD 150 billion across server manufacturing, cloud platforms, and supporting industries, creating a projected USD 250 billion AI infrastructure ecosystem in India.
India must architect its own artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure rather than rely on imports, Adani Group executive director Jeet Adani said on Thursday, warning that AI will redefine national sovereignty.
Other major investments announced at the Summit included USD 50 billion commitment by Microsoft by the end of the decade to expand artificial intelligence access across the Global South. "India, not surprisingly, is one of the largest," its vice chair and president, Brad Smith, said.
The firm had unveiled USD 17.5 billion investment in AI investments in India last year.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced a new subsea cable initiative to boost AI connectivity between India, the US and other locations, alongside partnerships for cloud infrastructure platform support to over 20 million public servants across 800 districts.
Yotta Data Services, backed by a real estate group headed by Niranjan Hiranandani, announced over USD 2 billion spend on Nvidia's latest chips in an artificial intelligence computing hub it is setting up just outside the national capital.
While Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) signed up ChatGPT parent OpenAI as its first customer for its data centre unit under the global AI infrastructure initiative Stargate, infrastructure major Larsen & Toubro announced a proposed venture with Nvidia to build AI-ready data centre infrastructure, advanced computing platforms, and ecosystem enablement required to support large-scale AI workloads.
