Last Updated:
While BJP’s Sudhanshu Trivedi accused Congress of sullying the country’s image by protesting at the AI Summit, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate called it a constitutional right
Sudhanshu Trivedi and Supriya Shrinate at the Rising Bharat summit. (News18)
“When the leadership becomes directionless, then the ideas become shameless, and the protest becomes topless”—This is how Sudhanshu Trivedi, national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) summed up the Youth Congress protest at the AI Summit in New Delhi, which had triggered a war of words between the ruling party and principal opposition Congress.
Speaking at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, Trivedi trained his guns on the Congress for sullying the image of the country on the global stage, saying the Grand Old Party must learn from the BJP how to be a good opposition.
“We were in the opposition for a long time so we know how to be a mature opposition. In 1995, then Leader of Opposition Atal Bihari Vajpayee went to the United Nations to take a stand for then PM Narasimha Rao’s government. The Congress would earlier claim that they knew how to run a government. The public has now shown them how well they can run a government but I think they should learn from the BJP how to be a good opposition side,” Trivedi said.
Trivedi was countered by Congress leader and social media head Supriya Shrinate, also a guest on the panel, who claimed the Opposition was often labelled anti-India for questioning the government.
Asked if there was really no positive development under Prime Minister Narendra Modi or if the Opposition just did not want to admit India’s development, Shrinate said those questioning the government were not “doomsday sayers”.
“However, given that we are in the opposition, questioning the government and seeking accountability from them is our right. In today’s time, that right is being attacked and that is what we have a problem with,” Shrinate said.
AI Summit Protest
On the question of Youth Congress workers protesting at Bharat Mandapam—which was called out by some allies of the Congress too—Shrinate said she supported them. “In a democracy, protesting is our constitutional right. Two issues that were raised after the protest were the image of the country and if the summit was the right place to protest at. I want to ask that should someone sit in the drawing room of their home and protest? A protest, by its very nature, should be held at a place where it becomes a topic of discussion and grabs eyeballs. I will cite the example of PM Modi. The prime minister was in Israel’s Parliament and the opposition walked out to protest against PM Benjamin Netanyahu. They clarified that they did not have an issue with PM Modi. But no Israeli media channel called them anti-national or traitors.
“When it comes to the image of the country, I want to ask that a man who had photos with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla threatened to kill Rahul Gandhi on video but there was no outcry over it. Wasn’t the image of the country hurt because of it? Isn’t the image hurt by polluted water? At the AI Summit, a Chinese robot was passed off an Indian, Sam Altman refused to hold hands…didn’t all this hurt the image of India? I believe that we spoil the image of the country when we question the questions.”
On the issue of allies such as Akhilesh Yadav, RJD and Aaditya Thackeray and Congress leader Margaret Alva calling out the protest, Shrinate said the Congress takes full responsibility of the protest. “I will tell you where the fault lies. Five people were arrested. At 3am, the protesters’ parents have been picked up by cops, one’s wife is being harassed. What is the Delhi Police doing? Why are they harassing people? Was the protest violent? Does one expect that protesters should have taken permission from the PMO before protesting?”
Interjecting Shrinate, Trivedi said if the Congress leader agreed that there was no space for violence in protests, how would the party explain the Udaipur tailor’s murder and the cutting of Father Joseph’s hand in Kerala.
On the issue of the AI protest, Trivedi said internationally too protests are held at venues of crucial congregations but they are out of the premises on issues such as climate change and human rights. “If that’s the case, why was the Congress protesting about an internal issue in front of guests from all over the world? Do you know how such a protest is held? When the leadership becomes directionless, ideas become shameless and protests become topless.”
He added: “The ‘Babbar Sher’ that Rahul Gandhi referred to [protesters] went and hid in a resort in Shimla. They were given protection by the Himachal Pradesh police. Criminals, for some reason, seem to prefer Congress regimes. Don Mukhtar Ansari too sought refuge in a Punjab jail when a Congress government was in power. Congress can protest as much as they want, but why don’t they raise issues on the floor of the House? They have not discussed any crucial issues in Parliament till now.”
February 27, 2026, 16:46 IST
Read More
