‘For them, AI is anti-India’: BJP slams Congress over shirtless protest at Delhi AI summit

A political controversy erupted at the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi after a group of Indian Youth Congress workers staged a shirtless protest at Bharat Mandapam on Friday, prompting sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The protesters, who entered the venue on the fifth day of the summit, were seen carrying or wearing T-shirts bearing slogans against the Prime Minister, the India-US trade deal and the Epstein files.

Reacting strongly, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla termed the demonstration “characterless, brainless, and emotionless” and accused the Congress of undermining India’s global achievements. He alleged that the protest was carried out at the behest of Rahul Gandhi and claimed that the party was attempting to discredit a summit that has drawn international praise from global leaders and technology executives.

Poonawalla said the Congress had proven that “for them, AI isn’t Ambitious India or Artificial Intelligence, for them AI is anti-India,” adding that the protest was not against the BJP or the Prime Minister but against India’s progress. He further described the Congress as an “anti-National Congress” in his remarks attacking the opposition party.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal also criticised Rahul Gandhi, calling the protest an attempt to embarrass 140 crore Indians on a global platform. He accused the Congress of trying to choke India’s development while its workers staged a demonstration at what he described as a prestigious international summit.

BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari similarly targeted Gandhi, terming the demonstration a “naked protest” and alleging organisational backing by party figures. Meanwhile, the Indian Youth Congress defended the action, saying it reflected the anger of unemployed youth across the country. Its national president Uday Bhanu Chib asserted that the workers would not be intimidated and stood by the protest as a legitimate expression of dissent.