On Saturday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly understanding little about technological advances such as drones, which, as per him, need strong industrial systems. In Gandhi's view, innovations like drones, which comprise batteries, motors, optics, and telecommunications, are based on a strong, bottom-up production network that India currently does not have. He has expressed concern that while Modi may be talking about AI, India is lagging far behind in grasping crucial technologies. In a video shared on social media, Gandhi stated how India does not produce crucial components that drones require, namely, the motors, lithium batteries, or optics, that are pivotal in modern warfare, as seen in Ukraine. He stressed that to exploit India's industrial potential and create jobs for the youth, a complete production system is needed.
Gandhi also criticized Modi’s statements about India becoming "number one in AI," calling them “complete junk” because the country lacks both the necessary production infrastructure and the consumption data required to harness AI effectively. Gandhi contended that India has allowed multinational companies to control its data, further hindering its ability to develop in this critical space. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has yet to respond to these accusations.
Conclusion:
The remarks made by Rahul Gandhi open up the discussion on the larger issues concerning the technological and industrial strength of India. The country, in Gandhi's opinion, imports components for technologies such as drones and AI. This demonstrates the country does not maintain a strong industrial base. In his opinion, India must develop its own solid production infrastructure and retain that data for its own use in order to build up competition against the entire world. The real implication in Gandhi's criticism here is that there is an immediate need for the Indian government to invest in building a self-sufficient industrial ecosystem based on the principle of indigenization for the incubation of innovations, job creation, and technological independence. His comments, too, bring forth serious questions regarding the functioning of the government, whether it turns a blind eye toward AI or advanced manufacturing, which will define India's role in the global techno-race.
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