BJP workers across several states staged protests on Saturday, Feb. 21, condemning a “shirtless” demonstration by India Youth Congress (IYC) activists at the India AI Impact Summit held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, accusing the opposition of disgracing the country on an international stage. The row intensified as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was met with black flags while travelling to a court hearing in Thane, and a Delhi court sent four IYC activists arrested at the summit to five days’ police custody.
The IYC protest, held on Friday inside an exhibition hall at Bharat Mandapam, saw activists walk shirtless while holding t‑shirts printed with slogans opposing the government and the India‑US trade deal and chanting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Security personnel quickly removed the demonstrators from the venue. Organisers say the India AI Impact Summit drew delegates from some 60–70 countries and included heads of state, global AI experts, tech executives and philanthropists.
A Delhi court on Saturday remanded Krishna Hari (national secretary, Bihar), Kundan Yadav (state secretary, Bihar), Ajay Kumar (state president, Uttar Pradesh) and Narasimha Yadav (Telangana) to five days’ custody after their arrest for the protest.
The BJP accused the Congress of crossing a red line. Party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi called the action “treason”, saying the “sepoys of Lashkar‑e‑Rahul” sought to tarnish India’s image and describing the display as a “shameful” example of the Congress’s “pettiness and nakedness.” Union minister Kiren Rijiju said deploying youth workers for the protest was a “big sin” and alleged it was a calculated attempt to malign the country. Senior BJP leaders including Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also denounced the demonstration, with Naqvi saying the Congress has a “chronology of criminal acts.”
Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) and other BJP activists staged counter‑protests in Jammu, Jaipur, Patna, Bengaluru, Panchkula and Indore. In Mumbai and Thane, BJP and Shiv Sena activists demonstrated against Gandhi; BJP workers waved black flags at his vehicle near the Mulund toll plaza as he headed to Bhiwandi to appear in a 2014 defamation case. Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske demanded a sedition case against Gandhi, while Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva and MP Manoj Tiwari termed the Youth Congress action “treason.”
Leaders from other parties also criticised the protest. BSP chief Mayawati called the act “highly objectionable and condemnable,” describing it as semi‑nude and inappropriate. Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu called the disruption “disgraceful,” YSRCP leader Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said the stunt made people “feel ashamed,” BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao warned such actions harm India’s international image, and Sikkim CM Prem Singh Tamang said the disruption risked undermining the country’s credibility during a high‑profile global event.
The India AI Impact Summit, inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi, concluded on Friday after sessions attended by global leaders, academics, industry chiefs and researchers. (PTI)
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/02/22/congress-faces-heat-from-several-quarters-over-shirtless-protest-at-ai-summit/
Category: NATIONAL
Tags:
Publish Date: 2026-02-22 04:35:00
