New Delhi: Workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a protest outside the Congress headquarters in Delhi on Saturday, condemning the demonstration by Youth Congress members during the India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam.
The protest followed an announcement made on Friday by Virendra Sachdeva, who said he would lead a march from Man Singh Road roundabout to the Congress office at 24 Akbar Road to denounce what he termed as hooliganism by Youth Congress workers at the summit venue.
Addressing media persons at the protest site, Delhi BJP Media Head Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, “Today, Bharatiya Janata Party workers have gathered here. All of them have assembled here voluntarily, and you will see them in thousands. The entire country feels proud.
“Despite facing traffic issues, the people of Delhi were enthusiastic that such a big summit was being held in the country. In the end, it will bring benefits worth crores of rupees to the nation and generate thousands of jobs. However, Rahul Gandhi displayed his frustration during the summit by organising a protest to show his political disappointment. The country will not forgive him for this.”
Earlier, Sachdeva alleged that the 10 individuals detained by police for their “shirtless” protest at the Summit venue were not genuine Congress workers but hired goons. “At a time when India’s youth are showcasing their innovations at the AI Summit and saluting the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, these individuals created disruption,” he said.
He further added, “If they believe that such actions will damage the nation’s image, they should dispel this misconception. These people claim to be workers of the Congress party led by Rahul Gandhi, who goes abroad and speaks in a manner that harms India’s image.”
Meanwhile, speaking in Karnataka, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi criticised the protest and said, “I demand, I already demanded, AICC president should apologise to the country.”
In Uttar Pradesh, Minister Anil Rajbhar also condemned the incident. “Now you tell me, what can be done? Yesterday, the way the Congress party behaved at Bharat Mandapam was highly irresponsible. Is this in the interest of the nation? On Indian soil, when heads of state from 20 countries were present, when representatives from across the world had gathered, and when India demonstrated leadership in the field of AI, which has been acknowledged globally, at such a prestigious event, what does this kind of behaviour prove?…” he said.
The protest marks a sharp escalation in the political exchange between the BJP and the Congress over the events that unfolded during the high-profile AI summit in the national Capital.
(IANS)
