We may have internal rifts but...: Akhilesh Yadav calls Congress protest at AI Summit shameful

Mangalore Today News Network

Jhansi, Feb 22, 2026: Samajwadi Party chief and Congress’ INDIA bloc ally, Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday criticised the “shirtless protest" by the Indian Youth Congress at the AI Impact Summit, saying it should have avoided actions that could project India negatively before foreign delegates at Bharat Mandapam.

Speaking to reporters in Jhansi, the SP chief said that such actions bring “shame" to the nation.

“We may have internal rifts; the whole nation knows that the BJP lies. But, they should have refrained from doing something that brings shame to our country in front of foreign delegates and world representatives," Yadav said.

YSR Congress Party chief and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy also posted on X, stressing the need to present a united front to the world despite political differences.

“Yesterday at the AI Summit, the Youth Congress made us all feel ashamed. Where is our politics heading! No one should ever demean our country. Whatever our political differences may be, we should always present a united face to the world," he wrote.

This comes after Youth Congress workers on Friday carried out a “shirtless" protest inside the venue, waving t-shirts with protest messages targeting ‘compromised Prime Minister Narendra Modi".

The protest quickly spiralled into a political flashpoint, triggering counter-demonstrations and clashes between Bharatiya Janata Party and Indian National Congress workers in Puducherry and Indore.

Congress Reacts

Meanwhile, the Congress leaders came forward to defend the Youth Congress’ move.

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge said the manner of protest staged by the Indian Youth Congress 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.

The Patiala House Court on Saturday dismissed the bail pleas of four arrested Indian Youth Congress workers and remanded them to five days of police custody.