New Delhi, February 21 Union Minister Kiren Rijiju launched a scathing attack on the Congress on Saturday, accusing the opposition party of committing a "grave offense" against the country by deploying its youth wing workers to hold a protest at the India AI Impact Summit here.
He termed it "shameful," alleging that the protest staged by Youth Congress workers at Bharat Mandapam on Friday was not a mistake but a well-planned conspiracy to defame India.
The Congress, by deploying its youth wing workers to hold a protest at the summit venue, committed a "grave offense against the country," Rijiju said at a press conference at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters here.
"The Congress using young people to defame the country—there is nothing more shameful than this," he said, adding, "This was not a mistake. The Congress party has committed a serious crime against the country. No amount of condemnation is enough for such an act."
While the entire country is condemning what the Congress did at the summit venue, the leaders of the opposition party remain unapologetic, Rijiju said.
Instead, they are justifying the "shameful" protest, calling it an expression of youth anger, he added.
"When India progresses, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress become sad," Rijiju alleged. "Congress leaders and workers keep hatching conspiracies around the clock to defame India."
"I want to ask the Congress, when will you stop indulging in anti-national acts?" he added.
A group of India Youth Congress (IYC) workers staged a brief protest on Friday at an exhibition hall of Bharat Mandapam, the venue of the AI summit, raising slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, before being taken away by security personnel.
Rijiju said the entire world is appreciating India for organizing the summit with proper planning and vision under Modi's leadership.
"With the AI summit, India has emerged as a global leader. It is being appreciated by everyone across the world, including in India, except the Congress and its ecosystem," the Union Minister said.
"Some anti-India forces, the Congress and its ecosystem, are extremely sad because India is progressing at a fast pace," he added.
Rijiju alleged that Gandhi "incites" people in coordination with anti-India forces whenever he visits abroad and "invites" them to intervene in India's internal matters.
"Rahul Gandhi calls them to attack our sovereignty," he said.
The BJP leader accused the Congress of opposing the country out of frustration, as it is not able to gain people's trust and win elections.
"You can criticise the government and its policies but you cannot oppose the country. We never did so when we were in the opposition," he said.
The minister claimed that he has asked several senior Congress leaders "privately" to make Gandhi understand this but "none of them is ready to do so".
"Raising an anti-India voice every day... Taking a cue from Rahul Gandhi, the Youth Congress has come out on the streets to defame India," he added.