Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu criticized Mohandas Pai for questioning the government's decision not to select Bengaluru for the AI Centre of Excellence.
Pai expressed disapproval and accused the government of ignoring the South in IT.
Vembu, who co-chaired the committee that made the decision, defended the selection process and suggested avoiding North-South politics.
The AI Centres of Excellence were announced in the budget speech and will be headed by top educational institutions, conducting interdisciplinary research and creating AI applications.