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‘Sepoys of Lashkar-e-Rahul’: BJP slams Congress over shirtless protest at India AI summit
Four Youth Congress workers arrested in connection with the protest at the AI Summit were brought to the Patiala House Court on Saturday morning.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacked the Congress party and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday over a protest held by the Opposition party’s youth wing at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Friday. It claimed the act was “treason”, alleging that the “sepoys of Lashkar-e-Rahul” tried to damage the country’s reputation.
A small group of India Youth Congress (IYC) workers briefly protested on Friday inside an exhibition hall at Bharat Mandapam, where the AI summit was taking place. They shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi before security staff removed them from the venue.
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BJP attacks Congress over protest at AI summit
Targeting the Congress over the incident, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, "What the Congress has done is not just politics. It cannot be dismissed as mere negative politics; it amounts to treason."
"Until now, Rahul Gandhi used to go abroad and make derogatory, offensive and condemnable statements about India. Now, the flag-bearers and sepoys of Lashkar-e-Rahul are attempting to tarnish India's image in front of foreign guests," Trivedi was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
He claimed the protest at the summit site was a "shameful display" of the Congress's "pettiness and nakedness".
"The entire country is anguished and agitated. The people of the country will never forgive the Congress for such a condemnable conduct," he said.
Union minister Kiren Rijiju also attacked the Congress over “anti-national” acts. He asked, “When will you stop indulging in anti-national acts?” and called it “a very big crime against the nation”.
‘Nepal-like protest’ at AI summit: What Delhi Police told court
Delhi Police, while seeking remand of the Indian Youth Congress workers arrested over the shirtless protest, told a court on Saturday that the accused had carried out a demonstration similar to one seen in Nepal.
Four Indian Youth Congress workers arrested in connection with their protest at the AI Summit at Bharat Mandapam were brought to the Patiala House Court on Saturday morning. Those arrested were identified as Krishna Hari, Kundan Yadav, Ajay Kumar and Narasimha Yadav. They have now been sent to five-day police custody.
Scenes unfolded at the AI Impact Summit exhibition hall on Friday as IYC workers walked around holding T-shirts with slogans against the government and the India-US trade deal, only to be removed by security personnel.
The accused’s lawyer said they are linked to a political party, ANI reported, adding that they staged the protest at Bharat Mandapam while exercising their right to protest. The public prosecutor said the accused shouted anti-national slogans and were wearing T-shirts carrying messages against the Prime Minister.
What Congress said on protest
Earlier, in a statement, the Indian Youth Congress said its workers were protesting against a "compromised Prime Minister who has traded the identity of the country at the AI Summit." Police later detained the protesters.
"Indian Youth Congress workers raised their voice and protested against the compromised Prime Minister who has traded the identity of the country at the AI Summit," an official post from the Indian Youth Congress said.
Congress leader Pawan Khera, in a video shared on X, said the IYC "removed the posters" and made the country notice the "cracks in the walls."
"The Indian Youth Congress, through the medium of a peaceful protest, have reflected the anger among the youth at this AI Summit. There has been a lot of hue and cry since then. A 'compromised' prime minister's 'incentivised' media has started saying that the protest has been staged at the 'wrong place'…” he said.
With inputs from agencies
