New Delhi [India], February 22 : Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday, describing the recently concluded AI Impact Summit as a "national embarrassment" and accusing the ruling party of prioritising optics over substance.
Khera's critique focused on the absence of mention of the Galgotias University controversy in the Prime Minister's address to the nation, the 131st edition of the monthly radio broadcast - Mann ki baat. The university has faced intense social media scrutiny following the summit, with critics labelling it a symbol of staged innovation.
In a post on X, Khera wrote, "Empty vessels make the most noise. Today's brief to BJP leaders is: flood every platform with praise for Modi's Mann ki Baat. They've been instructed to particularly glorify the AI summit. Yet, curiously, the centrepiece, the highlight, the national embarrassment - Galgotias University - found no mention in the Prime Minister's monologue. No remorse, no apology, no assurance of higher standards in the future. And perhaps understandably so - after all, announcing one's own folly and incompetence is never easy."
Khera analogised "empty vessels make the most noise" and claimed that BJP leaders were briefed to flood every platform with praise for Mann Ki Baat while ignoring the "national embarrassment" of the university at the summit. He added that there was "no remorse, no apology, and no assurance of higher standards in the future", suggesting that "announcing one's own folly and incompetence is never easy."
Furthermore, the Congress leader alleged that BJP-ruled states routinely spend taxpayers' money to orchestrate public listening events for Mann Ki Baat so that senior ministers can be photographed applauding the Prime Minister.
He described the BJP as an "echo-chamber of yes-men."
"Also missing was any acknowledgement that BJP-ruled states routinely spend taxpayers' money on to orchestrate public listening events for Mann ki Baat - staged so Chief Ministers, Deputy CMs, and ministers can be photographed dutifully applauding the self-styled "masterstroke deal-maker." BJP is an echo-chamber of yes-men," the post further read.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the 131st episode of Mann Ki Baat to laud the summit as a turning point for global AI. He highlighted the launch of three "Made in India" AI models that he claims will redefine the domestic tech landscape, specifically mentioning Sarvam AI's LLMs, Gnani.ai's Vachana text-to-speech model, and BharatGen's Param2 17B multilingual foundational model.
The Prime Minister specifically highlighted innovations at the Amul booth regarding AI-powered livestock management and the digital preservation of the. He noted that world leaders showed great interest in learning about Bharat's ancient knowledge through these modern AI avatars, emphasising the summit's success in showcasing India's technological and cultural fusion.