Echoing from Bengaluru, Congress heavyweight Mallikarjun Kharge passionately justified the Youth Congress’s provocative topless protest at the New Delhi AI Impact Summit. He hailed it as a stand for the greater good, while lambasting the arrests as a grave democratic lapse.
In a media briefing, Kharge explained the shirtless spectacle was a deliberate strategy to thrust unemployment and farmer grievances into the spotlight. ‘No crime here—just youth demanding accountability,’ he insisted, condemning the custodial sentences handed down.
He unleashed on government foreign entanglements, claiming Trump-era accords and moves like Russian oil curbs have devastated farmers. ‘PM Modi bends to every US whim, ignoring our soil-tillers,’ Kharge alleged, framing the protest as essential advocacy.
Disturbed by bail denials, Kharge warned of chilling effects on activism. He refuted image-damage claims by citing BJP’s own history: leaders like Gadkari’s Commonwealth Games protests went unchallenged. ‘Hypocrisy at its peak,’ he quipped.
Kharge lauded the demonstration’s intent to rally support for the jobless and agrarian sectors. With economic pressures mounting, his remarks spotlight Congress’s confrontational stance against what he sees as elite-driven governance, promising fiercer opposition ahead.