New Delhi, Feb 21 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday launched protests across several cities, criticising the Congress over a “shirtless” demonstration staged by the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) against the India-US trade deal inside Bharat Mandapam during the final day of the India AI Impact Summit.
Calling the protest “shameful,” BJP leaders demanded an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the party’s top leadership, accusing them of attempting to tarnish India’s global image during an international event.
The Youth Congress workers had marched into the exhibition halls raising slogans that the “PM is compromised,” in reference to the proposed India–US trade deal.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers thronged the streets in several cities in large numbers, holding placards that described Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress leader, as “anti-national”.
Minister Kiren Rijiju mounted a scathing attack on the Congress, alleging that the party had committed a “big sin against the country” by deploying its youth wing to disrupt the summit.
“The Congress committed a big sin against the country by sending its youth wing to protest at the AI Summit,” Rijiju said at a press conference at the BJP headquarters. “Congress using youths to defame the country, there could be nothing more shameful than this.”
Terming the incident a “well thought-out conspiracy,” he said it was not a mistake but a deliberate attempt to attack India at a time when the country was being globally recognised for hosting the summit.
“While the entire country is condemning what the Congress did at the summit, the party and its leaders remain unapologetic,” Rijiju said, adding, ” When India progresses, Rahul Gandhi and Congress become sad. Congress leaders and workers keep hatching conspiracies round the clock to defame India.”
He also questioned Congress, “When will you stop indulging in anti-national acts?”
BJP workers staged demonstrations in multiple cities, including Delhi, Udhampur, Surat, Bengaluru, Telangana, Jaipur and Mumbai, according to party leaders and videos shared on social media.
Workers of the Delhi unit of the BJP Yuva Morcha staged a demonstration outside the Congress headquarters in the national capital on Saturday, condemning the protest at the AI Summit and accusing the opposition of tarnishing India’s global image, and demanded an apology from Rahul Gandhi.
Videos shared on social media showed similar demonstrations by party workers in Udhampur, Surat, Bengaluru, Telangana, Jaipur, and Mumbai.
In several places, protesters were seen climbing over barricades, burning effigies of Rahul Gandhi, holding banners with his image crossed out, and waving black flags to express their anger.
In the national capital, members of the BJP Yuva Morcha gathered outside the Congress headquarters, holding placards describing Rahul Gandhi as “anti-national” and demanding an apology. Senior BJP leaders Manoj Tiwari and Virendra Sachdeva led the protest in Delhi.
Describing the Congress-led protest as “anti-national” and an act of betrayal against the country, Tiwari condemned the demonstration at the AI Summit.
“With rented goons, the Congress has defamed the country. At a time when India was receiving global applause for hosting the AI Summit, an event that marked a moment of national pride, such actions amount to betrayal. The people of this nation will not forgive it,” Tiwari said.
