Youth Congress workers hold 'shirtless protest' at AI Summit, 10 detained; BJP slams Congress

A group of Indian Youth Congress workers on Friday staged a dramatic 'shirtless protest' at an AI Impact Summit exhibition hall, walking around holding T-shirts with slogans against the government and the India-US trade deal printed on them, before being whisked away by the security personnel. A senior police officer said that around 10 people were detained when they were protesting at the AI Summit. "They were removed immediately and were taken to Tilak Marg police station. No one will be allowed to breach the law and order situation," the officer said. The BJP slammed the Congress for its youth wing workers' protest, alleging that a "ruckus" was created at the venue to sabotage India's global image at the behest of former party chief Rahul Gandhi. The protesters marched inside Exhibition Hall No 5, wearing or holding white T-shirts with images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump printed on them, along with slogans such as "India-US Trade Deal", "Epstein Files" and "PM is compromised", soon resulting in a commotion.

The ensuing melee witnessed heated exchanges between some of the attendees of the mega event and a few protesters. Posting a video of the protest, the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) said the question being asked is: Why exactly did young Congress workers need to raise their voices against the "compromised PM inside the AI Summit." "In a country where the media, the system, and the prime minister himself have already been compromised, what platform remains to raise a voice against it? If we protest on the streets, we are stopped. Under the guise of IT Rules, social media posts against the government are taken down. The media has become the government's mouthpiece. So, what avenue remains open to us?" the Youth Congress asked. "We are not against the AI Summit. We are against the compromises being made with India's interests. When the country's farmers are being bargained away, anti-India trade agreements are being signed, and the youth is kept unemployed while being dragged into politics of hate, should we stay silent?" it asked.

It said India belonged to its 140 crore citizens. "If we know how to walk the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi, we also know how to walk the path shown by Sardar Bhagat Singh. We will never allow the interests of the country's youths and farmers to be bargained away. Inquilab Zindabad," the IYC said in its post in Hindi. A police officer said the incident took place around 12.30 pm. "The protestors registered online to get QR codes to enter the summit venue. They wore sweaters and jackets above T-shirts with objectionable content printed on them. They removed the jackets near the lobby of Hall No 5 and held a protest there," the officer said. He said the protesters were immediately detained. "We are taking appropriate legal action against them. Some of them are yet to be identified. Efforts are on to identify them," he said.

A Delhi Police personnel on duty said they have heightened security inside the halls after the "unfortunate episode". The protest, which lasted a few minutes before the group was bundled out of the hall, caught the guests and other visitors by surprise, many of whom watched the unfolding scenes in disbelief, given the significance of the AI Summit that India is hosting. On Thursday, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the AI Impact Summit, which is being held from February 16-20 at Bharat Mandapam and is being attended by several heads of state, global AI leaders, academicians and researchers, heads of global tech giants and philanthropists. After being whisked away from the hall, the protesters marched towards the lobby, stood against a massive backdrop mounted there and shouted slogans against the government.

A student from Ludhiana who visited the Impact Arena at the summit on Friday said that when general visitors register through the summit website, a QR code comes in their email, which carries the name and identity of their organisation or institution. This QR code is used to enter the Bharat Mandapam premises, he said.

The BJP slammed the Congress on Friday for a protest staged by the party's youth wing at the ongoing India AI Impact Summit here, alleging that a "ruckus" was created at the venue of the event on opposition leader Rahul Gandhi's directions to sabotage the country's image before the world. A group of India Youth Congress (IYC) workers on Friday staged a brief protest at an exhibition hall of Bharat Mandapam, the venue of the AI summit, raising slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, before being whisked away by security personnel. A senior police officer said around 10 people were detained when they were protesting at the venue of the summit. Hitting out at the opposition party for the protest, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, "For the Congress, I have just three words -- topless, brainless and shameless." He alleged that the Youth Congress held the protest at the behest of Gandhi. "It was pre-planned. The Congress workers did not just enter the venue randomly. They had pre-registered for the event and obtained a bar code for entry to the venue," Patra said at a press conference at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters here.

"The entire planning was done at Rahul Gandhi's residence, in the presence of Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. It was not an experiment," Patra claimed. He alleged that the protest at the summit venue was not an "experiment" but a "deliberate attempt" by Rahul Gandhi to malign India's image. "Rahul Gandhi and the Congress are traitors of the highest order. Whenever the country is progressing, they will definitely do something to spoil the atmosphere. They are traitors," the BJP leader said. Reacting sharply to the development, Union minister Piyush Goyal said the protest put the Congress's "arrogance and frustration on display", and asked Gandhi if "humiliating" India to target the BJP-led Centre is his "idea of opposition". "While you want to choke India's development by peddling lies about the recent trade deals, your foot soldiers are marching shirtless at the prestigious AI Summit, attempting to embarrass 140 crore Indians globally," the senior BJP leader said in a post on X, flaying Gandhi over the protest.

"This disruption strategy only exposes your (Gandhi) and your party's lack of vision for India," Goyal added. Union minister Gajendra Shekhawat also hit out at Gandhi over the protest, saying it is not surprising to see the followers of the "pea-brained and immature" Congress leader take their shirts off and run around vulgarly at the summit venue. "Remember, when their pea-brained, immature leader Rahul Gandhi laughs in front of a dead body and wipes his nose on his own party president in public, it's no surprise then that his followers strip their shirts and run around vulgarly at an AI Summit," he said in a post on X. "Leadership sets the standard, and this is exactly what they reflect," he added.

BJP leader Amit Malviya said, "At a time when India is hosting a prestigious global AI Summit, showcasing its innovation and leadership in technology, the Congress party chose disruption over dignity."

The IT department head of the saffron party criticised the Youth Congress workers for taking their shirts off and creating a ruckus at the summit venue, saying the act was "clearly designed to embarrass India on the world stage". When the country is striving to position itself as a global technology powerhouse, such conduct only serves the interests of those who wish to see it falter, he added. "Political opposition is a democratic right, but sabotaging India's global image is not," Malviya said in a post on X, stressing, "India deserves better." Reacting sharply to the protest, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari wrote on X: "Shame on Congress Party. Congress behaves like Urban Naxals. Cong is an anti-India party." He alleged that the Youth Congress workers stormed the summit venue and raised "objectionable slogans on the instructions of Rahul Gandhi". "Rahul Gandhi, Congress and Gandhi-Vadra family should apologise to the country and its youth," Bhandari said.

Meanwhile, a picture has surfaced on the social media, in which Gandhi is seen walking along with Narsimha Yadav, who allegedly organised the protest at the AI summit venue. Patra claimed that Yadav is the national coordinator of the Congress's youth wing.