BHUBANESWAR l monday l june 08, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l JEYPORE EDITION Chennai-born architect behind Trump’s AI policies to leave job Sriram Krishnan is stepping down from his role as senior policy adviser for Artificial Intelligence to US President Donald Trump pushed for rollback of regulations on AI Criticised green card cap, drew maga ire Krishnan was an architect of the Trump administration’s ‘AI Action Plan’, which provided a blueprint to roll back regulation of the emerging technology and promote the construction of data centres across the US. He also was among tech advisers who helped craft an executive order limiting states’ ability to regulate AI, which Trump signed in December ■ ■ Born in Chennai in 1984, Krishnan earned his Bachelor of Technology in Information Technology from SRM University in 2005, before moving to the US two years later to join Microsoft Krishnan had courted criticism from Trump’s right-wing supporters over his calls to remove country-specific caps on green cards 42-yr-old Worked at Microsoft, Meta and X before joining the White House CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Amid strain, 23 Oppn parties to Conditions favourable, monsoon attend INDIA bloc meet today to enter Odisha in 3-4 days: IMD Kejri, Didi discuss way forward P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi As many as 23 Opposition parties are set to attend the crucial INDIA bloc meeting on Monday to devise fresh strategies to corner the BJP government on key national issues with an eye on the 2029 general elections, the Congress said. In a post on X, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said 23 political parties have confirmed their participation in the “INDIA janbandhan” meeting. “There are some parties who have expressed their inability to attend this particular meeting for their own reasons, even though they have conveyed their strong opposition to the Modi government’s policies and actions,” Ramesh said. The meeting comes amid growing friction within the bloc, with the DMK and AAP opting to skip and others expressing concerns about the Congress’s conduct. While the gathering is being seen as an effort to deepen coordination among Opposition TMC’s Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek with AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, in New Delhi on Sunday | PTI parties, particularly after the recent round of assembly elections and amid evolving political equations in several states, a Samajwadi Party leader told this paper that the DMK’s absence would be a major setback for the bloc. “The Congress will have to face several questions. Being the largest party they failed to take other , parties along,” he said. The DMK decided to boycott the meeting, citing Congress’s “betrayal” in Tamil Nadu by joining the TVK government. The equation with the CPI(M) has also strained, with the Left party expressing displeasure over remarks by senior Congress leaders alleging collusion with the BJP in Kerala. The meeting comes at the behest of the Trinamool Congress, which is facing an existential crisis. “Meeting with a common purpose and clear intent. INDIA united. Many parties look forward to meeting in the spirit of camaraderie,” TMC MP Derek O’Brien said. SP’s Akhilesh Yadav, RJD’s Manoj Jha, J&K CM Omar Abdullah, NCP’s Supriya Sule, VCK’s Thirumavalavan and others are expected to attend. TVK was not invited because it doesn’t have MPs. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Sunday met Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal, a day ahead of a meeting of the INDIA bloc. The TMC described the meeting as “warm”, and said the leaders held discussion on “the road ahead” Brittas to represent CPI(M) CPI(M) will be represented by its Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas at the meeting. CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby will not attend in protest over the Congress charge of a CPI(M)BJP understanding in Kerala Chorus against second cooking gas price hike since Iran conflict E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ New Delhi Ashok Gehlot reignites debate on 2022 MLA rebellion r a j e s h a s n a n i @ Jaipur THE rift in Rajasthan Congress appears to be as raw as ever. For mer Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday asserted that the dramatic mass resignation by his loyalist MLAs in September 2022 was aimed solely at stopping Sachin Pilot from becoming Chief Minister, and not against the Congress high command, as w i d e l y believed. Addressing reporters at the Constitution Club, Gehlot said the revolt erupted after Pilot’s name was actively circulated for the CM’s post. “Had the MLAs actually rebelled against the high command, would I have been able to remain Chief Minister?” he asked. The MLAs refused to accept Pilot as CM because he had huddled legislators to Manesar in 2020 in an attempt to topple the state government, Gehlot alleged. He also rejected the longheld narrative that he declined the offer of Congress President to remain CM. “When Sonia Gandhi herself offered to make me national president... how could I refuse? It was a conspiracy ,” he said, claiming the sudden arrival of observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken triggered the events that painted him as powerhungry. The Pilot camp maintains the 2020 revolt targeted Gehlot’s leadership. OPPOSITION parties on Sunday criticised the Centre over the latest increase in domestic LPG prices, accusing it of further burdening households already struggling with a rising cost of living and inflation. However, the government maintained that despite the latest hike, domestic LPG prices in India remain lower than those prevailing in neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The government raised the price of a 14.2-kg domestic LPG cylinder by `29, taking it to `942 from `913 in Delhi. The hike comes nearly three months after an increase of `60 announced in March amid a surge in global energy prices linked to West Asia conflict. The Congress alleged that the government was passing the burden of rising costs onto ordinary citizens.” Party president Mallikarjun Kharge questioned the government’s handling of fuel supplies and pricing. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar warned that the government would pay a “political price” as frequent hikes in essential commodities were burdening the common man. PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss, an NDA ally, too demanded an immediate rollback. Likewise, CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan called it an “anti-people” decision and sought a quick rollback. As for the Aam Aadmi Party, it said the hike in cooking gas price would intensify financial pressure on families across the country . The Trinamool, too, accused the Centre of shifting the burden of global disruptions onto ordinary households. A s i s h M e h ta @ Bhubaneswar The torment of the scorching heat is set to wane by the end of this week as the much-awaited southwest monsoon is likely to enter the state within the next three to four days. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday said the pace of pre-monsoon showers has intensified across Odisha. The monsoon winds have strengthened and conditions are favourable for its arrival in the state by mid-week, said director of the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre Manorama Mohanty . “Conditions are favourable for the advance of the southwest monsoon into parts of Chhattisgarh and Odisha, the remaining areas of North East and parts of sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim over the next three to four days,” Mohanty said. The monsoon reached Kerala on June 4, three days late than the normal onset date of June 1. The weather system generally reaches Odisha 10 to 12 days after its onset over Kerala. Weather experts had earlier anticipated that the monsoon might miss its usual arrival window of June 10-12 in the state. They said that although the monsoon arrived late in Kerala, it has since advanced A man walks on a road as a thunderstorm lashes Bhubaneswar on Sunday | DEBADATTA MALLICK rapidly. Its arrival in Odisha will trigger widespread rainfall, providing relief from the sweltering heat and supporting agricultural activities ahead of the kharif season, they said. Last year, the monsoon entered Odisha on May 28, nearly two weeks ahead of its normal onset. However, its subsequent progress remained slow, resulting in a rainfall deficit of 88.7 mm between June 1 and June 23. This year, its momentum will be crucial for the agricultural in the state, said experts. The monsoon first touches the southern districts of Odisha and covers the entire state within four to five days. The state receives an average rainfall of 209.3 mm in June, 341.4 mm in July, 363.8 mm in Au g u s t a n d 2 3 5 . 7 m m i n September. Meanwhile, the hot and humid weather was balanced by nor’wester rains in several parts of the state for the second consecutive day on Sunday. In the last 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Sunday, Rajnagar and Mahakalpada in Kendrapara district witnessed heavy showers and recorded 90 mm and 70 mm rain respectively . As pre-monsoon activity has intensified, the state received 67 per cent surplus rains between May 28 and June 3 this year, the IMD said.