New Delhi, February 17 Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government on Tuesday of causing chaos and mismanagement at the ongoing AI Impact Summit here, leading to embarrassment for the country due to the government's incompetence.
He also stated that the Summit could have been used to showcase India's digital and Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities instead.
"What could have been a showcase AI Summit for the entire world, demonstrating India's digital and AI capabilities, has reportedly turned into utter chaos and poor management by this 'PR-hungry' government!" Kharge said on X.
He alleged that the Prime Minister's "uninvited appearance" for a "photo opportunity" on the first day (Monday) of the five-day Summit caused distress to the founders, exhibitors, and visitors.
"Exhibitors were left without food and water, their products were stolen, Digi Yatra failed miserably, laptops, personal electronic devices, and even bags were prohibited, and only cash was accepted instead of digital/UPI payments, among many other reasons for distress," the Congress chief claimed.
"It is extremely unfortunate that our country has to suffer this global embarrassment due to the incompetence of our own government," Kharge said.
Perhaps, the Modi government should learn from the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS), which is an annual event, in smoothly organizing such large-scale digital and tech gatherings, the Congress president suggested.
In a post on its X handle, the Congress said, "Absolute mayhem. Horrifying chaos. Zero civic sense. The India AI Summit, an event meant to showcase India's AI ambitions to the world, soon turned into a chaotic, poorly managed photo op for PM Modi."
The main hall was cleared for the Prime Minister's visit, while security personnel were reportedly found misbehaving; founders reported that their products were stolen, while exhibitors were evicted from their own stalls, the party claimed.
"Adding insult to injury, the AI event saw multiple demonstrations fail due to unstable internet, while laptops and cameras were banned. At a tech event, no less. Even the food stalls refused to accept digital payments, preferring to deal only in cash," the Congress claimed.
"When incompetence becomes normalized, embarrassment becomes the norm. Shameful!" the opposition party added.
India is hosting the AI Impact Summit at the Bharat Mandapam along with the India AI Impact Expo 2026 from February 16-20.
The world's largest AI summit opened on Monday to packed halls and long queues, as tech moguls, industry leaders, policymakers, founders, and technologists thronged the venue for the conference.
The final two days of the summit - February 19 and 20 - will see more than 20 heads of state, including France's Emmanuel Macron and Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, talking about the future of AI alongside business leaders and investors.
