Ashwini Vaishnaw and Mahua Moitra
NEW DELHI: The Modi government’s ambitious AI summit on Wednesday was overshadowed by controversy over Galgotias University’s contested displays of robotic exhibits, with Trinamool (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra calling the I-T minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to quit.Taking a sharp dig at the minister, who also holds crucial railway and information & broadcasting portfolios, the Lok Sabha MP wrote Vaishnaw has “made India a laughing stock”.
Mahua also shared a Vaishnaw’s deleted X post in which he had purportedly praised the Galgotias University’s robodog, which triggered a massive backlash online over its Chinese origins. In the post, as was posted by the TMC leader, Vaishnaw had said: “Bharat’s sovereign models are performing well on global benchmarks.”Mahua, considered a fierce critic of the ruling BJP, said the minister “maybe join Galgotia as Professor of Spin?””Deleting tweets doesn’t change reality @AshwiniVaishnaw – you have made India a laughing stock. Quit the chair if you can’t do your job. Maybe join Galgotia as Professor of Spin?” Mahua wrote on X. Government acts against Galgotias As the controversy escalated into a major embarrassment, the government asked Galgotias University to vacate its stall at the AI Summit Expo in Bharat Mandapam. The robot, showcased by the university as “Orion,” was recognised by observers as the Unitree Go2, commercially available product, made by Chinese robotics firm Unitree. The quadruped robot is reportedly sold in India for about Rs 2–3 lakh.The incident quickly escalated into a wider controversy at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, a flagship AI event that PM Modi himself inaugurated.The university pins all blame on the professorHours after the drawing intense flak, Galgotias University apologised in the statement that blamed the woman professor for the fiasco.In the statement, it expressed regret over the confusion and said it arose because Professor Neha Singh, who was managing the stall, was unaware of the product’s technical origins.
