Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], February 21 : Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Saturday said the manner of protest staged by the Indian Youth Congress at the India AI Impact Summit may not have been in the "right spirit", but the BJP should instead be embarrassed over the controversy surrounding the display of alleged Chinese products at the event.
Reacting to protests by the Indian Youth Congress and the subsequent political row, Kharge said, "Whatever happened yesterday, I'm not sure that was in the right spirit. But if the Government of India or the BJP is so embarrassed, they should have been embarrassed when a university and a few other companies projected Chinese products as their own."
Kharge was referring to the controversy involving Galgotias University, which allegedly showcased a Chinese-made robotic dog at the summit in the national capital. Several Opposition leaders criticised the Union government over the incident.
Taking aim at the conduct of the event, Kharge added that the summit appeared chaotic, with the centre of attention on the Prime Minister rather than innovators, job creators, and business leaders.
"I was there at the summit. I have organised summits like this, and I have never seen such chaotic summits where the centre of attention is the prime minister and not the innovators and the builders, not the people who are creating jobs," he said.
"Go see on social media what international delegates have to say about the event. Forget what Congress has to say... What do Indian innovators and Indian business heads have to say about the event?" Kharge added.
The controversy intensified after BJP leaders and workers staged protests in Delhi against the Congress party over the conduct of its youth wing at the summit, which was held at Bharat Mandapam. On Friday, Youth Congress workers carried out a "shirtless" protest inside the venue, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being "compromised" and alleging that the country's identity had been traded at the AI event.
Police detained several protesters following the demonstration. On Saturday, Delhi Police sought five days' custody of four arrested Youth Congress workers - Krishna Hari, Kundan Yadav, Ajay Kumar and Narasimha Yadav - alleging that they raised anti-national slogans in the presence of international dignitaries. The public prosecutor told the court that the accused wore T-shirts carrying messages against the Prime Minister.
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