Union MSME Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi criticized Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for a shirtless protest by Youth Congress activists at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. Manjhi compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Rahul Gandhi using mathematical analogies on a social media platform.
Manjhi questioned Rahul’s political behavior and condemned the protest as disrespectful to the country. He expressed disappointment over the incident, labeling it as a shameful act that would stain India’s history. The protest, allegedly linked to the Indian Youth Congress, disrupted the AI Summit.
The BJP accused an aide of Rahul Gandhi, Narsimha Yadav, of organizing the shirtless protest targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the India–US trade agreement. Rahul Gandhi had criticized the agreement during the Budget Session of Parliament, claiming it was signed under pressure from US President Donald Trump. The BJP further intensified the controversy by sharing a photo of Rahul Gandhi with Narsimha Yadav from a previous event.
The incident sparked a political clash between the BJP and the Congress, with the BJP accusing the opposition of damaging India’s reputation on an international platform. In contrast, the Congress defended the protest as a means to raise concerns about national interests.
