Pune (Maharashtra) [India], February 21 : Shiv Sena (Pune City) demanded that Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi issue a public apology "within 24 hours" on his remarks on India AI Impact Summit, and warned that failure to do so would result in the party staging a protest outside his residence.
Addressing a protest held near the statue of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in front of Sarasbaug in Pune, Shivsena Pune Chief Pramod Bhangire on Saturday alleged that Gandhi's remarks during the ongoing International 'Global South AI Summit' in New Delhi and the reported protest by the Indian Youth Congress had tarnished India's image on the global stage.
Shiv Sena leaders stated that the summit is a significant opportunity for India to showcase its leadership in Artificial Intelligence (AI) before international delegates, policymakers and experts. They termed the Youth Congress' actions as politically motivated and said they prioritised party interests over national interests.
Bhangire also objected to Gandhi's reported use of the word "compromised" while referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the context of the India-US trade agreement, calling it an insult to the country's highest constitutional office.
"Rahul Gandhi must apologise to the nation within 24 hours. Otherwise, Shiv Sena will intensify its agitation and hold a protest outside his residence," Bhangire said.
During the demonstration, Shiv Sena workers raised slogans against Gandhi and the Indian Youth Congress. Several party office-bearers, including former Deputy Mayor Aba Bagul and other Yuva Sena functionaries, were present at the protest.
This comes after, on Friday, Youth Congress workers carried out a "shirtless" protest inside the venue, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being "compromised" and alleging that the country's identity had been traded at the AI event.
During the protest, party workers removed their shirts as a mark of dissent.
The Patiala House Court rejected the bail applications of all four arrested Indian Youth Congress workers and sent the accused to police custody for five days.
The arrested accused, who have been identified as Krishna Hari, Kundan Yadav, Ajay Kumar and Narasimha Yadav.