A day after Youth Congress activists went shirtless to disrupt the India AI Impact Summit 2026, the group turned to X with a powerful visual: Mahatma Gandhi. The post sought to rally support and validate their high-octane protest against the establishment.
‘We carry Gandhi’s bloodline. Shirtless? No issue. Fought before, fighting ahead,’ proclaimed the message. The Friday fiasco at Bharat Mandapam saw intruders chant against unemployment, price hikes, and the India-US trade deal, directly slamming PM Modi.
Dramatically, some bared their torsos for selfies in front of summit banners, drawing immediate security crackdown. Detentions followed, preserving the event’s flow for dignitaries from government, industry, and abroad.
Youth Congress fired more salvos online: ‘Deaf rulers spark youth uprising.’ And a dig at inconsistencies: ‘Their demos: heroic. Ours: shameful?’
Ruling partners labeled it a shameful ploy to sabotage India’s AI prestige internationally. Foes in opposition celebrated it as vibrant democracy at work.
This episode fuels a larger discourse on tech summits as protest arenas, the youth’s raw anger over economic failures, and where free speech ends. As AI missions accelerate, such raw outbursts demand policy responses beyond innovation hype.