New Delhi [India], February 21 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have condemned the 'shirtless' protest by Indian Youth Congress members at the India AI Impact Summit on Friday, calling them "traitors".
Speaking with ANI, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said that Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has made the party anti-national, and asked him to apologise to the country.
"Under Rahul Gandhi's leadership, Congress has become a party that has started opposing the country and acting like a traitor. The manner in which they behaved at the AI Summit was an insult to India. Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the country," he said.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Defence Sanjay Seth said that Congress has "gone too far," questioning them for presenting a negative image of the nation in front of the world. Calling Rahul Gandhi, "Congress's prince," he said that the country will not forgive the Congress for their protest.
"This has gone too far. Anti-nationalism is in the DNA of the Congress. While opposing PM Modi, they have started opposing the nation... But the demonstration carried out on the orders of the Congress party's prince will not be forgiven by the country. Will you present a wrong picture of the country in front of the world?" the MoS Defence said.
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.
Karnataka Minister Eshwara Khandre said, "Protesting is the fundamental right of the people of this country. They protested against the wrong policies of the central government. What is wrong with it?"
In the protest held at the Al Impact India Summit in the national capital, the Youth Congress members removed their shirts with slogans that read, "Compromised PM". The party workers removed their shirts as a mark of dissent.
The Indian Youth Congress, in a statement, said its workers were protesting against a "compromised Prime Minister who has traded the identity of the country at the AI Summit." Police later detained the protesters.
The Patiala House Court on Saturday rejected the bail applications of all four arrested Indian Youth Congress workers in connection with the protest and sent them into a five-day police custody.