New Delhi witnessed a sharp political exchange on Thursday as BJP senior leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi hit back at Youth Congress protesters who disrupted the AI Summit at Bharat Mandapam. Naqvi accused the Congress party of being unable to stomach India’s progress under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
Speaking exclusively to IANS, Naqvi pointed to a pattern of calculated disruptions by Congress during key international events. He recalled the 2015 ‘Award Wapsi’ campaign that coincided with the visit of leaders from 54 African nations to India. ‘It wasn’t a coincidence,’ he asserted, linking it to a deliberate strategy to tarnish the nation’s image.
Naqvi drew parallels to the 2019-20 Shaheen Bagh protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which unfolded just as US President Donald Trump arrived with his delegation. ‘Foreign media ignored the high-level talks between Trump and PM Modi, flocking instead to JNU and Shaheen Bagh,’ he noted, highlighting how these events diverted global attention.
The BJP leader didn’t spare the G20 Summit either, where Rahul Gandhi toured domestically and abroad claiming India’s Constitution was in peril. Now, with delegates from 20 countries at the AI Summit, ‘Congress resorted to naked dancing in protest,’ Naqvi quipped, underscoring their desperation as a leader from humble, backward roots elevates India globally.
On the freedom of expression enshrined in the Constitution, Naqvi clarified, ‘It permits speech, not anarchy. Congress can’t keep engineering chaos to defame the country without consequences.’
Addressing Gujarat’s new rule mandating parental consent for marriages, Naqvi advocated for simplicity and transparency in social reforms. ‘State and central governments pursue these measures solely for societal welfare, eliminating confusion,’ he emphasized.
Naqvi’s retort serves as a stern warning to opposition forces: India’s upward trajectory under Modi won’t be derailed by petty politics. As global summits spotlight the nation’s advancements, such disruptions only expose the critics’ intolerance for progress.