Rahul Gandhi meets Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence
Feb 20, 2026
New Delhi [India], February 20 : Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday visited Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's residence in New Delhi. The visit comes even as the pary is facing massive backlash following a shirtless protest by Indian Youth Congress members at the Bharat Mandapam during the AI Impact India Summit.
In a statement, the Indian Youth Congress 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.
"Indian Youth Congress workers raised their voice and protested against the compromised Prime Minister who has traded the identity of the country at the AI Summit," an official post from the Indian Youth Congress said.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticised the protest stunt by Congress cadres.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi attacked the Government on the organisation of the summit and said, "Instead of leveraging India's talent and data, the AI summit is a disorganised PR spectacle - Indian data up for sale, Chinese products showcased."
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had also alleged mismanagement of the AI Summit, claiming that what could have been a "showpiece" event for India turned into "utter chaos."
Kharge claimed that visitors and exhibitors alike faced "extreme distress" due to a lack of basic facilities such as food and water.
In a post on X, Kharge criticised the government, stating that the summit, which was expected to showcase India's digital and artificial intelligence capabilities to the world, reportedly witnessed large-scale mismanagement.
"What could have been a showpiece AI Summit for the entire world, demonstrating the digital and AI capabilities of India has reportedly turned into utter chaos and rank mismanagement by this 'PR hungry' government!" Kharge said.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police detained some of the protesting workers from the Mandapam premises, and as per sources, legal action against the protestors is being initiated.