Indian Youth Congress protests at AI Summit in New Delhi
New Delhi: Members of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) staged a dramatic protest at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, raising slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over unemployment, inflation, and the India-US trade agreement.
According to Kashmir Media Service, several Youth Congress activists stormed Exhibition Hall No. 5, with some removing their shirts and other holding or wearing white T-shirts bearing images of PM Modi and US President Donald Trump printed on them. The shirts carried slogans such as “India-US Trade Deal”, “Epstein Files” and “PM is compromised”, triggering a brief commotion at the venue.
Indian forces’ personnel deployed at the exhibition hall swiftly intervened and detained the protesters. The detained activists were later shifted to Tilak Marg police station for questioning.
Later, the Youth Congress shared pictures and videos of the protest on its X handle, stating that the demonstration aimed to highlight concerns that corporate interests were being prioritized over national interests and that the government’s foreign policy had weakened. The statement added that the protest was also against rising prices and unemployment, stressing that the country’s youth were becoming increasingly disillusioned.
“We are not against the AI Summit. We are against the compromises being made with India’s interests. When the country’s farmers are being bargained away, anti-India trade agreements are being signed, and the youth is kept unemployed while being dragged into politics of hate, should we stay silent?” it asked.
The Congress party, in a separate post on X, said, “Today, Youth Congress comrades expressed the anger of youth, farmers, and traders through protest. By entering into trade agreements with the United States, Narendra Modi has attacked the interests of our youth, farmers, and traders. Modi has mortgaged India to the US and has completely surrendered.”
The five-day AI Impact Summit concluded yesterday, with senior representatives from at least 20 countries participating. The event also witnessed controversy when a private Indian university was asked to vacate its stall after it emerged that a robotic dog it had showcased as its own innovation was in fact Chinese-made. The summit was further overshadowed by organizational lapses and mismanagement.
