U.S.-led Pax Silica a step towards digital colonialism, says Congress MP in Rajya Sabha

Senior Congress MP Digvijaya Singh on Monday (March 23, 2026) warned the Union Government against joining Pax Silica, terming the U.S.-led project a step towards digital colonialism.

The U.S.-led initiative is aimed at building resilient supply chains for critical minerals and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. India joined the coalition in February 2026, during the AI Impact summit held in New Delhi.

Raising the matter during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha on Monday (March 23), Mr. Singh asked the government to make the terms and conditions of the agreement public.

He said Pax Silica will have significant implications for India’s strategic autonomy, data privacy and technical sovereignty as the project is aimed at cooperation and standard setting in critical areas such as semiconductors, AI and digital infrastructure, and the United States is the dominant player in it. “By signing Pax Silica unconditionally, is it a step towards digital colonialism? This is something that concerns every citizen and their privacy,” the senior leader said.

He added that the foremost concern over the project is data privacy and sovereignty. He added that if the country is required to align with shared standards and systems under this coalition, then there is a possibility that Indian data may be processed or governed through foreign platforms or frameworks. “This raises critical questions about the effectiveness and the enforceability of India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. Would the private data of the Indian citizen be protected in the DPDP Act?” he asked.

In another issue raised during Zero Hour, Samajwadi MP Jaya Bachchan questioned the “VIP culture” within the premises of Parliament. She alleged that MPs were blocked during the passage of “VIPs.” “One has travelled all over the world, and has seen many VIPs and cavalcades going, but they never stop people on the street,” Ms. Bachchan said. “We have never faced such humiliation in the last 22 years of mine in this Parliament. We are not a threat to any of the VIPs, especially the political lot,” she added and asked Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan to take up the matter with the government. “This culture has to stop in order to give dignity to the taxpayers of this country who have brought us into this House,” Ms. Bachchan said.