What was billed as India’s grand showcase of artificial intelligence leadership has devolved into pandemonium, claims Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. Targeting the Modi government, he detailed a cascade of organizational blunders at the ongoing India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam.
Held from February 16 to 20, the summit aspires to drive international AI cooperation via its ‘People, Planet, Progress’ framework. With 45+ countries sending ministers, UN top brass, and industry titans in attendance, expectations were sky-high. Kharge, however, paints a grim picture of the event’s mismanagement.
In a viral X post, he described how exhibitors and founders endure without essentials: no food, no water, stolen goods, broken digital tools. Strict bans on bags, laptops, and electronics compound the misery, while cash demands clash with India’s digital economy push. Crowds crush for PM Modi’s entry photo, sidelining actual programming.
‘Deeply unfortunate that India suffers global shame due to its own government’s incompetence,’ Kharge stated. He held up the Bengaluru Tech Summit as a gold standard—proof that large-scale tech events can succeed without the drama.
Organizers from the Foreign Ministry envisioned a forum for AI’s future direction, but participant woes threaten its legacy. Kharge’s broadside elevates the story beyond logistics, spotlighting systemic issues in event management under the current regime. As the summit progresses, pressure mounts for swift fixes to restore credibility and focus on substantive AI dialogues.