New Delhi: The Congress launched a sharp attack on the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for what it alleged was mismanagement at the AI Summit being held in India for the first time.
Party president Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that what could have been a “showpiece” event for India turned into “utter chaos.” Visitors and exhibitors alike faced “extreme distress” due to a lack of basic facilities such as food and water, he said.
Criticising the government, he stated that the summit, which was expected to showcase India’s digital and artificial intelligence capabilities to the world, reportedly witnessed large-scale mismanagement, as reported by ANI.
“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 posted on X.
Exhibitors, and visitors faced “extreme distress” due to arrangements made during the event, he further alleged. The Congress president also claimed that exhibitors were left without food and water, and alleged incidents of product theft.
The Prime Minister’s presence on the first day caused disruptions, Kharge said, stating that Modi “gatecrashed for a photo opportunity.”
“Founders, exhibitors, and visitors – all face extreme distress due to the PM gatecrashing for a photo opportunity on the very first day. Exhibitors are left without food and water, their products are stolen, Digi Yatra miserably fails, laptops, personal electronic devices and even bags are prohibited, only cash instead of digital/UPI payment is accepted, and founders are made to pay huge sums without basic facilities, among many other reasons of distress,” Kharge added in the X post.
He called the situation “extremely unfortunate,” and said the country had to face “global embarrassment” due to what he termed as incompetence by the government.
“It is extremely unfortunate that, our country has to suffer this global embarrassment due to the incompetancy of our own government. Perhaps the Modi Govt should learn from the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS) which is an annual feature in smoothly organising such large scale Digital and Tech congregations,” Kharge said.
Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in the national capital on Monday, underscoring India’s commitment to responsible and inclusive Artificial Intelligence.
The Summit – the first global AI gathering to be hosted in the Global South – will witness unprecedented participation, with over 20 Heads of State, 60 Ministers, and 500 global AI leaders.
The aim is to bring together policymakers, technology companies, innovators, academia, and industry leaders, to translate global AI deliberations into actionable development outcomes under the IndiaAI Mission and the Digital India initiative.
Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to deliver the inaugural address on February 19, setting the tone for enhanced global cooperation and advancing India’s vision for inclusive, trusted, and development-oriented artificial intelligence.
