Mallikarjun Kharge (PTI image)
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday criticised the Centre over mismanagement at the ongoing AI Impact Summit in the national capital. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge called it an example of “PR hungry” government that had turned a global opportunity into “utter chaos”.In a post on X, Kharge said that what could have been a major moment for India’s digital and artificial intelligence leadership had instead resulted in distress for participants.“What could have been a showpiece AI Summit for the entire world demonstrating the digital & AI capabilities of India, has reportedly turned into utter chaos and rank mismanagement by this ‘PR hungry’ government!” he wrote. The Congress chief alleged that founders, exhibitors and visitors faced multiple problems during the event, particularly on the first day.“Founders, exhibitors and visitors – all face extreme distress due to the PM gatecrashing for a photo opportunity on the very first day,” Kharge said.Listing the complaints, he added, “Exhibitors are left without food and water, their products are stolen, Digi Yatra miserably fails, laptops, personal electronic devices and even bags are prohibited, only cash instead of digital/UPI payment is accepted, and founders are made to pay huge sums without basic facilities, among many other reasons of distress.” Calling it an embarrassment for the country, Kharge said, “It is extremely unfortunate that, our country has to suffer this global embarassment due to the incompetancy of our own government.”He also suggested that the Centre take lessons from a state-level technology event. “Perhaps the Modi Govt should learn from the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS) which is an annual feature in smoothly organising such large scale Digital & Tech congregations,” he wrote.Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw acknowledged the issue and assured that all problems will be addressed. “If any issue or inconvenience has come to exhibitors at AI Summit, we apologise for that. All issues will be addressed,” Vaishnaw said. The AI Impact Summit, which began on Monday at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, is being described as the world’s largest artificial intelligence gathering. The five-day event, running from February 16 to 20, has drawn thousands of participants, including tech leaders, policymakers, startup founders and industry experts.Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the summit, which will also see the participation of more than 20 heads of state and government, including France’s Emmanuel Macron and Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Technology leaders such as OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Google’s Sundar Pichai are also scheduled to attend.The summit aims to shape a “shared roadmap for global AI governance and collaboration” and focuses on themes of “People, Planet, and Progress”. India is positioning itself as a hub for digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence, and is expected to push for wider access to AI technologies and the creation of global AI commons.PTI reporters at the venue observed long queues outside session halls due to packed schedules and high demand. Organisers said that registrations exceeded expectations, reflecting growing global interest in AI infrastructure, enterprise adoption and governance.While there were reports of logistical challenges due to heavy footfall and parallel sessions running simultaneously, the event has seen strong participation, with panel discussions and exhibitions drawing large crowds.The government has highlighted the summit as an opportunity to showcase India’s digital public infrastructure, engineering talent and its ambitions to lead global conversations on responsible and inclusive AI development. Go to Source
