The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday (February 21, 2026) held protests in different parts of the country against the Congress party over the “shirts-off” demonstration by the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers at the India AI Impact Summit venue in New Delhi a day ago. Leaders of other political parties also condemned the incident.
In Mumbai, BJP workers showed black flags to Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in Thane when he was en route by road to Bhiwandi for an appearance before a court in a 2014 defamation case. While the BJP Yuva Morcha organised a demonstration in Delhi, protests were also staged in Jammu, Jaipur, Surat, and other places.
At a press conference, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the Congress of committing a “grave crime”.
“We thought that if the party had even a little bit of concern for the country, it would introspect and apologise. However, this morning, we saw many Congress leaders justifying this brazen misconduct,” he said.
He said praise was pouring in from everywhere, with many prominent figures from leading countries, including heads of state, acknowledging the summit organised under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to showcase India’s progress in the field of AI. This was when the Youth Congress workers went to the venue and performed a “naked dance”.
‘Defaming the country’
On Friday (February 20), the IYC workers arrived at the venue of the summit, removed their T-shirts, turned them inside out to display printed catchphrases and images and raised slogans against Centre’s trade deal with the U.S.
Expressing shock over the Congress defending the IYC protesters, Mr. Rijiju said: “They claim this is the anger of the youth. If the anger of the youth is used to defame India in front of the world, then nothing could be more shameful than this…there cannot be any politics over anything done in national interest, no matter who is in power.”
“But for some time now, we have been witnessing the Congress’s frustration as they cannot win elections and are unable to gain the trust of the people. Now it has become anti-national…whenever Mr. Gandhi sees India progress, he and his party become unhappy,” he said, adding that during his foreign travels too, the senior Congress leader “incites opposition against India”.
Mr. Rijiju said the BJP had been in the opposition for a long period of time, but its leaders never “spoke a word against the country”.
“On the contrary, Congress leaders and workers are constantly conspiring to defame India. They cannot ensure the country’s prosperity and progress…therefore, not just the BJP, but the entire country has risen up and is protesting against the Congress party everywhere today,” said the BJP leader.
Parties unite in criticism
Leaders of other parties across the political spectrum also reacted to the protest at the summit.
Through her X handle, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati termed the conduct of Youth Congress workers “utterly disgraceful and reprehensible”. “If this summit were not of international stature, it would be a different matter altogether. However, such conduct during the summit is a cause for concern…it should be ensured that the dignity and image of our country are not tarnished,” she said.
BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao also posted a message on X condemning the incident as “petty political theatrics”. “Using such a global platform for protests will project our great nation India in a poor light internationally. While difference of opinion is natural in a democracy, understanding where and how to protest is very important. There is a time and place for political dissent, and an international summit is certainly not one of them,” said Mr. Rao.
Furthermore, the BRS leader said: “And the irony is hard to miss. Youth Congress guys staged the protest precisely when their own party’s Chief Minister, Revanth Reddy, was addressing the same AI Summit”.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) general secretary Lokesh Nara said he was shocked and dismayed by the disruption caused by the IYC workers at the summit. “This global platform was meant to showcase India’s growing leadership as an emerging AI superpower. Turning such a prestigious international event into a political spectacle only diminishes our collective standing before the world. India deserves better…,” he said.
YSR Congress (YSRCP) chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy also posted his statement on X, saying that “no one should ever demean our country. Whatever our political differences may be, we should always present a united face to the world”.
