Bill Gates, who is in the eye of the storm over his alleged links mentioned in the Epstein files, was scheduled to deliver his keynote address at Bharat Mandapam today.
“After careful consideration, and to ensure the focus remains on the key priorities of the AI Summit, Mr. Gates will not deliver his keynote speech. The Gates Foundation will be represented by Ankur Vora, President of Africa and India Offices, who will speak at the summit later today.
The Gates Foundation remains fully committed to our work in India to advance our shared health and development goals,” the Gates Foundation said.
Interestingly, the latest reversal comes just a day after the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation dismissed speculation about his attendance, stating that the Microsoft founder “will deliver his keynote as planned.”
The announcement comes against the backdrop of the tech billionaire facing mounting criticism and online backlash over his name appearing multiple times in documents linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019.
Earlier this week, the Andhra Pradesh government rolled out the red carpet for Gates at Gannavaram Airport in the presence of Nara Lokesh and other cabinet colleagues.
“Welcome to Amaravati, Mr. Bill Gates. It was a pleasure to receive the Chairman of the Gates Foundation at Gannavaram Airport today,” Lokesh said in a message on X.
However, Gates’ visit to India sparked some controversy, with several people taking to social media to target him over his alleged ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and accusing him of “treating India like a testing laboratory for his products and Indians like lab rats.”
Gates has already dismissed the accusations related to the Epstein files as “absolutely absurd and completely false.”
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