‘At international events, there has to be dignity’: Congress’ Margaret Alva on IYC protest at AI Summit

BENGALURU: Amid the row over the Youth Congress ‘shirtless’ protest at Bharat Mandapam during the India AI Impact Summit, former Union minister and veteran Congress leader Margaret Alva emphasised that a sense of discipline and responsibility has to be maintained during international events.

Her remarks come after members of the Indian Youth Congress staged a protest at the Bharat Mandapam venue of the Al Impact India Summit in the national capital by removing their shirts with slogans that read, “Compromised PM”. The party workers removed their shirts as a mark of dissent.

Speaking to the media, Alva said, “At international events, there has to be dignity, there has to be discipline and a sense of responsibility”.

#WATCH | Veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister Margaret Alva has criticised the Youth Congress protest at the #IndiaAISummit2026, stressing the importance of decorum at global platforms.

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Meanwhile, Delhi Police have arrested Jitendra Yadav from Gwalior in connection with the Youth Congress protest at Bharat Mandapam. This marks the fifth arrest in the ongoing investigation into the demonstration held during the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

Prior to Yadav’s arrest, four other leaders, Krishna Hari, Kundan Yadav, Ajay Kumar and Narasimha Yadav, were apprehended and remanded to five days of police custody by the Patiala House Court.

According to Delhi Police, the officials have recovered T-shirts and posters that were used in the Indian Youth Congress’s protest at the AI Summit at Bharat Mandapam from Indian Youth Congress leader Krishna Hari’s car. Police have also detained another Youth Congress protester and are conducting raids to search for the remaining protesters.

Earlier, in a statement, the Indian Youth Congress said its workers were protesting against a “compromised Prime Minister who has traded the identity of the country at the AI Summit”. Police later detained the protesters.

Meanwhile, BJP workers held a protest across multiple states against the Congress over the Indian Youth Congress protest at the India AI Impact Summit yesterday. In Surat and Jammu, BJP cadres staged demonstrations against the Congress, while in Delhi, members of the BJP Yuva Morcha held protests condemning the incident.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday also called the protest a “shameful display that dishonours the country”. Addressing a gathering in Meerut, PM Modi said, “Look at the misfortune. The leaders of such an old party, instead of feeling ashamed, are shamelessly cheering for those who dishonour the country. This issue is ongoing with the Congress party”. (ANI)