New Delhi, Feb 17: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday alleged that chaos and mismanagement at the ongoing AI Impact Summit in the national capital has caused “global embarrassment” for the country, blaming the government’s incompetence.
In a post on X, Kharge said the five-day summit could have served as a showcase of India’s digital and artificial intelligence capabilities, but had instead “reportedly turned into utter chaos and rank mismanagement”. He claimed founders, exhibitors and visitors faced distress, alleging that the prime minister’s visit on the first day disrupted arrangements.
Kharge listed issues such as lack of food and water for exhibitors, alleged theft of products, failure of Digi Yatra, restrictions on laptops and personal electronic devices, and cash-only payments at some stalls despite the event being tech-focused. He also claimed founders were charged large sums without basic facilities.
Kharge suggested the government should learn from the Bengaluru Tech Summit on managing large-scale technology events smoothly.
The Congress, in a separate post on its official X handle, also alleged multiple lapses including poor crowd management, clearing of the main hall for the prime minister’s visit, reported misbehaviour by security personnel, alleged eviction of exhibitors from stalls they had paid for, demonstration failures due to unstable internet, and bans on laptops and cameras. It also claimed some food stalls refused digital payments and preferred cash.
India is hosting the AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam along with the India AI Impact Expo 2026 from February 16 to 20. The summit opened on Monday with packed halls and long queues as technology leaders, policymakers, founders and technologists attended the event. The final two days (Feb 19–20) are scheduled to feature more than 20 heads of state, including France’s Emmanuel Macron and Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the organisers.
By Juhi | With inputs from PTI