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Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Centre over the 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. The Congress President further alleged that founders, exhibitors, and visitors faced "extreme distress" due to arrangements made during the event. He claimed that exhibitors were left without food and water, and alleged incidents of product theft. Kharge also alleged that the Prime Minister's presence on the first day caused disruptions, stating that the PM "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," he added in the X post. Calling the situation "extremely unfortunate," Kharge 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," he said. Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in the national capital, 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. Bringing together policymakers, technology companies, innovators, academia, and industry leaders, the Summit seeks to translate global AI deliberations into actionable development outcomes under the IndiaAI Mission and the Digital India initiative. The Prime Minister 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. After inaugurating the summit, PM Modi interacted with exhibitors, including startups, researchers, and technology leaders, who showcased AI applications across sectors. (ANI)
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