Gautam Karhadkar

Today's Telegram ban is proof of why an indigenous social media or messaging app can never grow in India. If @durov was Indian, he would be in jail along with his entire team and his entire infrastructure seized because a question paper was supposedly leaked on Telegram. It would have taken a few months to get bail. Line of FIRs stretching to Kanyakumari. Court cases dragging on for a decade or more. TV channels would have gone to town with all kinds of consipracies of how Soros is involved. We have vaguely written laws, open to the worst interpretation and bureaucratic overreactions. It's not a stable foundation for anyone to build on. The same applies to now AI. Anyday someone will be offended in this country by anything an indigenous AI generates in text or images and the founders can find themselves in jail and fighting court cases.

There is an unprecedented turbulence within non-NDA political parties. The rebellion of elected members of @AITCofficial has sent shock waves across India. Indian Political leaders and workers are asking each other ‘how is this possible where more than 60 elected MLAs leave party in less than a month after election?’ The family-owned political parties (like @samajwadiparty ) who have representatives in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha are now on alert. Panic is so high that the leaders of these regional parties are giving appointments quickly to their MLAs and MPs. All eyes are on an aggressive attempt of @BJP4India to manufacture 2/3 majority in Lok Sabha which is more difficult to get than Rajya Sabha. It’s said that the 2/3 majority is being manufactured to pass the Delimitation bill which failed to pass in the last session. The fierce political fight is on between Congress and BJP. Congress wants to ensure that @AmitShah led efforts to get NDA 2/3 majority in parliament doesn’t succeed. In Lok Sabha with strength of 543 members around 362 votes constitutes 2/3 majority. But, the rule is bit flexible. For any Constitutional amendment bill ‘at least two-thirds of the members present and voting’ is required. On day of voting on the bill if BJP can manage to keep substantial number of opposition MPs ‘abstain’ then 2/3 votes of MPs present (with reduced strength due to absentee MPs) can be managed by NDA. However, under all circumstances it’s a very difficult political knitting by NDA but it may not be impossible seeing what all is happening in West Bengal and Maharashtra. This is one of the most serious developments of Indian politics in last 12 years.

Honoured to receive The Order of the White Double Cross (1st Class) in Bratislava this evening. My gratitude to the people and Government of Slovakia for this honour, which belongs to the 140 crore people of India. I dedicate this award to the enduring friendship between India and Slovakia. @PellegriniP_

It’s. What. He. Does. 🐐 (via @FOXSports)