Workers and supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party staged protests in several cities against the Congress party over the controversial Youth Congress protest during the AI summit in New Delhi.
In Mulund, Maharashtra, BJP workers waved black flags at Rahul Gandhi while he was travelling to Thane to furnish fresh surety in a defamation case filed by a worker associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Protesters raised slogans and carried placards criticising the Congress and its youth wing.
Demonstrations were organised in multiple locations including Delhi, Surat, Hyderabad, Patna and parts of Maharashtra.
BJP workers and youth wing members gathered at various locations, accusing the Congress of disrupting an important international event.
The protests were organised in response to the demonstration staged by Indian Youth Congress activists during the AI summit in the national capital.
The controversy began during the India AI Impact Summit 2026, where around ten Youth Congress activists staged a shirtless protest inside the venue.
The protesters raised slogans against Narendra Modi and criticised the India-US trade agreement.
Some of the activists carried or wore white T-shirts printed with images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Donald Trump.
Security personnel quickly intervened and detained the protesters for disrupting the high-profile international summit attended by global technology leaders.
Senior BJP leaders strongly criticised the protest and accused Congress of attempting to damage India’s international reputation.
BJP leader Nitin Nabin said certain political parties had become aligned with what he described as “urban Naxalism.”
“We often use the term ‘urban Naxalism.’ I can say that while earlier some parties were merely influenced by it, today they have completely become a part of it,” he said.
He added that such actions had harmed India’s progress at a time when the country was gaining global recognition.
Union Minister Bhupender Yadav also criticised the incident, calling it an act of “absolute shamelessness.”
“At a time Bharat is taking strides positioning itself as a global technology powerhouse, Congress is going all out to embarrass the country. This is not political opposition, this is an attempt at sabotaging India’s global image,” he said.
The protests have added to the ongoing political confrontation between the BJP and the Congress.
While BJP leaders described the Youth Congress demonstration as an attempt to embarrass India at an international event, Congress leaders defended the protest as a form of political expression.
The incident has sparked a nationwide political debate over protest methods and the use of international platforms for domestic political issues.
