BJP leaders took control of the Congress after a shirtless protest by Indian Youth Congress workers at the AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam on Friday. Track AI Summit updates
The latest to join the BJP’s chorus against the protest, which several senior party leaders have blamed on Rahul Gandhi, is former minister Smriti Irani who attacked the grand old party with the Hindi proverb ‘khisyani bele khamba nosh’.“. Literally translating to “a frustrated cat scratches the post,” it is a proverb used when someone takes out anger or frustration on passersby or objects.
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“It takes a rare political bankruptcy to turn a world summit into a stage to embarrass a nation before the world,” Irani wrote in a post on X.
During her congressional research, she said that theatrical performances become a final liquidation sale when an individual’s ideas become “unavailable” for more than a decade.
After Youth Congress workers entered the AI Impact Summit venue on Friday and protested against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indo-US trade deal with slogans like “PM is at risk”, the BJP slammed the Congress and termed the incident a “national disgrace”.
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The party said that the Rahul Gandhi-led Congress Party’s protest is an act aimed at embarrassing India on the world stage.
At least four people were arrested following the protest, and police said legal action was underway, while a senior police officer told news agency PTI that about 10 people were arrested when they were protesting at the AI summit. “They were immediately transferred to Tilak Marg police station. No one will be allowed to violate law and order,” the officer said.
Additional Commissioner of Police Devesh Mahla said the incident occurred around 12:30 pm and that the protesters had registered online to attend the summit. He said the protesters were wearing jackets and jackets over T-shirts that were unacceptable. Near Hall No. 5, someone took off his outer clothing and waved his shirt in protest. The official added that appropriate legal measures are being taken and the detainees are being identified.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla criticized the Congress, calling the protests “characterless, mindless and emotionless”, and accused the Congress of undermining national progress.
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He claimed that the protest was organized at the “request” of Rahul Gandhi and is a protest against India’s achievements.
“Congress has proven once again that for them, AI is not aspirational India, or AI, or aspirational India. For them, AI is anti-India. This is not the African National Congress, this is the ANC, the anti-national Congress. The AI Summit has been praised all over the world. From President Macron to the UN Secretary General, to top tech companies, from Sam Altman to Sundar Pichai, everyone is praising it. Even Shashi Tharoor said that the AI Summit was ANI quoted Poonawalla as saying: “Excellent.”
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal targeted Rahul Gandhi and said the protest was an attempt to embarrass 140 crore Indians globally.
“This is Congress’ arrogance and frustration! So, Mr. Rahul Gandhi, humiliating India by targeting the government is your idea of dissent!” Goyal wrote on X. “While you want to stifle India’s development by peddling lies about recent trade deals, your soldiers are marching shirtless into the prestigious AI summit, trying to embarrass 140 crore Indians globally,” Goyal wrote on X.
