New Delhi: Congress leader and former Union Minister Margaret Alva has reacted to the recent shirtless protests carried out by the members of the Indian Youth Congress at the AI India Summit in New Delhi. She called the protests wrong and said that dignity must be maintained at international events.
‘Need dignity at international events’: Alva
The veteran Congress leader was quoted by news agencies as saying, “I think at international events there has to be dignity, there has to be discipline, and there has to be a sense of responsibility.”
Her response came a day after at least 10 Indian Youth Congress workers entered the venue of the AI India Summit and protested shirtless. They shouted slogans against PM Modi and also carried white t-shirts with the faces of PM Modi and Donald Trump printed on them.
The protests were against the recently concluded India-US trade deal. The Congress has accused PM Modi of compromising on farmers’ interests and going ahead with the deal with the US. The government meanwhile has rejected all such accusations. They have labelled it baseless and said that the India-US trade deal is for the benefit of all, including Indian farmers.
Congress faces all-round criticism for shirtless protest
While the Congress party has tried to defend the protests by the Youth Congress members in Delhi, it is not finding much support on the matter. If it’s own like Alva have criticised it, allies have also not spared the Grand Old Party in it’s criticism.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav also criticised the shirtless protest. He said that it “brought shame to the nation.” Speaking to the media in Jhansi on Sunday, he said, “We may have internal rifts, the nation knows that the BJP lies. But they should have refrained from doing something that brings shame to our country in front of foreign delegates and world representatives.”
The BJP has sharply criticised the Congress over the protests at Bharat Mandapam, venue of the AI Summit. They directly blamed Rahul Gandhi for the fiasco and said that the Youth Congress leaders did this on their leaders instructions. They called the party anti-India.