NewzVille Desk
As many as 160 academicians have termed the Congress youth wing’s protest at the AI Impact Summit last week “profoundly regrettable and ill-conceived”, and said it reflected the opposition party’s inability to distinguish between legitimate democratic dissent and the imperative of safeguarding national prestige on a global stage, according to a PTI report.
The protest alleged as “associated with Rahul Gandhi” conveyed an “unfortunate impression” at a time when global investors and technology leaders were assessing India’s credibility as a long-term partner in artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technologies, they said in a joint statement on Monday.
“As a Member of Parliament, there exists a constitutional responsibility to distinguish between constructive democratic critique and actions that may inadvertently weaken India’s international standing,” they added.
The signatories to the joint statement included JNU vice-chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, IIT Roorkee director Kamal Kishore Pant, IIT Dharwad director Venkappayya R Desai, IIT Jodhpur Director Avinash Kumar Agarwal, and vice-chancellors and professors of various universities.
Last Friday, a group of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers staged a dramatic shirtless protest at an exhibition hall during the AI Impact Summit at the Bharat Mandapam, walking around holding T-shirts with slogans against the government and the India-US trade deal printed on them, before being whisked away by security personnel present at the venue.
Delhi Police has arrested five IYC workers in connection with the incident so far.
