Rahul Gandhi brands AI Summit a ‘PR spectacle’, alleges display of Chinese products

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the India-AI Impact Summit 2026, describing it as a “disorganised PR spectacle” and alleging that Chinese-made products were being showcased as Indian innovations.

As the summit entered its third day in New Delhi, Gandhi took to social media platform X to question the government’s handling of the event. He claimed that instead of harnessing India’s talent and safeguarding its data, the summit had become an exercise in publicity. “Indian data up for sale, Chinese products showcased,” he wrote.

The Congress party echoed his criticism, accusing the government led by Narendra Modi of damaging the country’s global standing in the field of artificial intelligence. In a post shared online, the party alleged that Chinese robots were being displayed at the summit as indigenous products, drawing mockery from Chinese media outlets.

The party also targeted Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, accusing him of promoting imported technology at the event. It claimed the government had reduced a strategically important and high-potential sector into an embarrassment, despite India’s data resources and skilled workforce positioning it to play a leading global role.

The criticism comes amid a separate controversy involving Galgotias University, which was asked to vacate its stall at the AI Impact Summit Expo following allegations that a robotic dog displayed there was manufactured by a Chinese company but presented as an in-house development. The incident triggered widespread backlash on social media.

In response, the university issued a clarification stating that its robotics programme is aimed at equipping students with practical skills by working with globally available technologies. It also expressed concern over what it termed “propaganda” against the institution.

The five-day India-AI Impact Summit is structured around three pillars — People, Planet and Progress — and seeks to highlight India’s ambitions in artificial intelligence. The event was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi, who said that advances in AI would not only drive domestic transformation but also contribute to global development.

However, with political tempers flaring and questions raised over the provenance of showcased technologies, the summit has found itself mired in controversy even as it attempts to project India’s AI aspirations on the world stage.

With IANS input