Samajwadi Party chief and INDIA bloc ally Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday strongly criticised the Indian Youth Congress for staging a “shirtless” protest at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, calling the act a "shame" for the country.
Speaking to reporters in Jhansi, Yadav said the Congress should have exercised restraint, particularly given the presence of foreign delegates and global representatives at the international event held at Bharat Mandapam.
"We may have internal political differences, and everyone knows how the BJP functions, but such acts should have been avoided. Doing something like this in front of foreign delegates brings shame to the country," Yadav said.
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Protest sparks nationwide political row
On Friday, Youth Congress workers carried out a shirtless protest inside the summit venue, waving T-shirts bearing protest messages aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The demonstration was swiftly halted by security personnel, and several Youth Congress members were detained.
The incident triggered political clashes between BJP and Congress workers in parts of Puducherry and Indore, escalating tensions between the two parties.
BJP leaders accused the Congress of embarrassing India on a global platform. Union Minister and BJP MP Anurag Thakur described the protest as “anti-India,” directly targeting Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and the Youth Congress.
"Are they anti-Modi or have they now become anti-India? Congress is defaming India before the world. Opposing the Prime Minister should not mean opposing the nation," Thakur said while speaking to reporters.
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Congress defends protest, court denies bail
Congress leaders, however, defended the Youth Congress action. Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge said the form of protest may not have been appropriate but argued that the BJP should instead address controversies linked to the summit itself, including allegations surrounding the display of Chinese products.
Another Karnataka Minister, Eshwara Khandre, said protest was a fundamental democratic right. "They protested against what they believe are wrong policies of the central government. That right cannot be questioned," he said.
Meanwhile, the Patiala House Court in New Delhi on Saturday rejected the bail applications of four arrested Youth Congress workers and remanded them to five days of police custody, according to court officials.
