New Delhi

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Centre over the alleged mismanagement of the India AI Impact Summit, claiming that what could have been a global “showpiece” for India turned into “utter chaos.”

In a post on X, Kharge criticised the government, alleging that the summit—intended to showcase India’s digital and artificial intelligence capabilities to the world—was marred by large-scale mismanagement.

“What could have been a showpiece AI Summit for the entire world, demonstrating the digital and AI capabilities of India, has reportedly turned into utter chaos and rank mismanagement by this ‘PR hungry’ government,” Kharge said.

The Congress chief further alleged that founders, exhibitors and visitors faced “extreme distress” due to inadequate arrangements. He claimed that exhibitors were left without basic facilities such as food and water, alleged incidents of product theft, and disruptions linked to security protocols.

Kharge also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of causing inconvenience by arriving on the first day of the summit for what he described as a “photo opportunity.”

“Founders, exhibitors, and visitors—all face extreme distress due to the PM gatecrashing for a photo opportunity on the very first day. 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,” Kharge alleged in his post.

Calling the situation “extremely unfortunate,” the Congress President said India had to face “global embarrassment” due to what he termed as the government’s incompetence. He suggested that the Centre should learn from the Bengaluru Tech Summit, which he said is organised smoothly every year.

Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, underlining India’s commitment to responsible and inclusive artificial intelligence.

The summit, the first global AI gathering to be hosted in the Global South, is witnessing participation from over 20 Heads of State, 60 Ministers and more than 500 global AI leaders. It brings together policymakers, technology companies, innovators, academia and industry leaders, with the aim of translating global AI deliberations into actionable development outcomes under the IndiaAI Mission and the Digital India initiative.

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The Prime Minister is scheduled to deliver the inaugural address on February 19. After inaugurating the summit, PM Modi also interacted with exhibitors, including startups, researchers and technology leaders, who showcased AI applications across sectors.