Assam CM Says Rise of ‘Bharat’ in New-Age Tech Unsettles Rahul Gandhi

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday claimed that it is not the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but India’s growing global stature in emerging technologies that unsettles Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

His remarks came after disruptions were reported at the IndiaAI Impact Summit 2026 venue, where a group of protesters, allegedly linked to the Indian Youth Congress, entered the venue and raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the India–US trade deal.

“It is not the BJP that unsettles Rahul Gandhi. It is the rise of Bharat as a global force in new-age technologies,” Sarma wrote on micro-blogging site X.

Describing the IndiaAI Impact Summit 2026 as a reflection of India’s innovation drive and ambition, the chief minister alleged that attempts were made to manufacture controversy around the event and, when that did not succeed, disruption and political theatrics followed.

Calling the episode part of a recurring pattern, Sarma said decisive steps that strengthen India’s global standing often face “reflexive cynicism”.

“The question before the nation is simple: Why does every milestone of national progress trigger partisan hostility? When Bharat rises, should politics not pause?” he added.

Brief chaos unfolded at the summit venue on Friday afternoon when protesters carrying or wearing T-shirts with slogans such as “PM is compromised”, “India-US trade deal” and “Epstein Files” raised slogans inside the venue.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticised the protest at the IndiaAI Summit, calling the Congress’s move a political stunt by its workers. Party leaders said staging demonstrations at a technology-focused event diverted attention from key discussions on innovation and global cooperation in artificial intelligence, which the government aims to spotlight through the summit.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw urged the Congress to view the IndiaAI Summit as an issue that rises above party rivalry.

“No one can explain it to them (protesters). That is their job. They must have been very scared about how such a good, such a grand AI summit took place,” Vaishnaw said.

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