Hyderabad: Samajwadi Party National President and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has said that India needs politics of “vision” rather than “division”, asserting that his party believes in development-oriented and progressive politics. Addressing a press conference after the Vision India AI Summit in Hyderabad, Yadav alleged that the BJP was indulging in divisive politics and said such tendencies must be stopped to safeguard national unity.
Yadav said rapid technological changes are taking place across the world and the benefits of technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), should reach everyone without discrimination based on caste or religion. “We want AI to evolve in such a way that discrimination is eliminated altogether,” he said, adding that inclusive use of technology should be the guiding principle of governance.
Raising concerns over cybercrime, Yadav claimed that Uttar Pradesh currently ranks number one in cyber fraud cases, with online scams increasing rapidly. He alleged that AI and deepfake technologies were being misused on political platforms. Referring to reports related to expressways in Uttar Pradesh, he said long-range cameras were allegedly used to capture videos inside vehicles and of people moving in fields early in the morning, resulting in objectionable footage. While AI offers solutions in traffic management, healthcare and education, he cautioned that its misuse must be checked through strong safeguards.
The Samajwadi Party chief said the AI Summit witnessed meaningful discussions and assured that when the Samajwadi Party forms the government in Uttar Pradesh, AI would be used responsibly to benefit people. “For us, true AI is that which ensures welfare for all,” he remarked.
He said experts at the summit shared valuable suggestions on improving solid waste management in cities, traffic systems, electricity supply, water management, air quality and the use of AI in policing. He thanked experts and delegates for their inputs and said the party would seriously consider the suggestions for effective implementation of AI across sectors. Yadav underlined that AI could play a crucial role in agriculture, healthcare, education and in mitigating losses to farmers due to climate change.
On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Yadav alleged that while the Election Commission’s responsibility is to ensure voter registration, the government was using SIR as a pretext to implement an NRC-like exercise. He claimed that nearly three crore voters in Uttar Pradesh were at risk of being removed from electoral rolls. Yadav further alleged discrepancies in data generated through a mapping app being used for SIR, claiming that the same company that had donated electoral bonds to the BJP was involved in the process. He accused the BJP of attempting to manipulate elections through irregularities in the name of SIR.
