Youth Congress Stages Shirtless Protest At AI Summit; BJP Leaders React

At an AI Impact Summit exhibition hall on Friday, a group of Indian Youth Congress workers staged a "shirtless protest." They walked around with T-shirts bearing slogans critical of the government and the India-US trade deal printed on them before being escorted away by security guards.

About four people were arrested during the protests at the AI Summit, according to a senior police official.

"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 are 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 over 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.

Following the "unfortunate episode," a Delhi Police officer on duty stated that they have increased security within the halls.

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.

The AI Impact Summit, which will take place at Bharat Mandapam from February 16–20, was officially opened by Prime Minister Modi on Thursday. Several heads of state, international AI leaders, academics and researchers, executives from major tech companies, and philanthropists are among those attending.

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.

When public visitors register on the summit website, a QR code containing the name and identity of their organisation or institution appears in their email, according to a Ludhiana student who attended the Impact Arena during the summit on Friday. According to him, the Bharat Mandapam premises can be accessed by scanning this QR code.

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Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta slammed the protest at the AI Impact Summit in Bharat Mandapam saying Congress always starts "writhing in discomfort" whenever the country displays its capability.

She said in a post on X that the India AI Impact Summit is shaping the future direction, and the "scene" created at the event by Congress is "extremely shameful".

Whenever the country displays its capability, or there is any important global event, Congress seems to feel the "pangs of discomfort" and rises as an "obstruction" against it, Gupta said in her post.

"The commotion created today before foreign guests is a pre-planned conspiracy by the Congress to tarnish India's image. The negative leadership of Rahul Gandhi seems bent on maligning the image of the country under a premeditated conspiracy," she charged.

This deed makes every Indian who feels proud of the country's progress feel ashamed. The people are watching that on one hand India is becoming a "Technology Powerhouse", on the other hand Congress has turned into a "memorial of negative politics" and street-level spectacles, she said, hitting out at the grand old party.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath strongly criticised the protest staged terming the incident "shameful" and calling for the strictest action against those responsible.

Addressing the state Assembly, Adityanath said, "On one hand, under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, India has established itself as a major global power and strengthened its credibility in the world. On the other hand, a shameful incident was attempted at Bharat Mandapam by the youth organisation of the Congress." He alleged that the protest was an attempt to tarnish India's global image.

"There was a deliberate attempt to damage India's image before the entire world. We condemn this. It is a very shameful incident. These Congress leaders want to play politics at the cost of the nation," Adityanath said.

"Politics and allegations are part of democracy, but to play with the country's image, especially when people from more than 100 countries are participating, and to create disorder in such a manner, is unacceptable. Every Indian should condemn and denounce this incident," he added.

The chief minister further said that those behind the episode should face stringent action.

"Whosoever is behind this should face the strictest action. Those who are trying to tarnish India's image must be dealt with firmly," he said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday condemned the protest by Youth Congress workers at the ongoing India AI Impact Summit in Delhi, calling it "disgraceful and deplorable".

It was shameful that the Congress "stooped to a new low", he said in a statement, and alleged that the disruption was a "well-planned strategy" to derail a historic moment showcasing India's technological leadership before the world.

"We strongly condemn such incidents and demand stringent action against the culprits for attempting to malign the country's name and respect," Fadnavis said.

With PTI inputs