PM Modi seeks to isolate Congress over AI Summit 'shirtless' protest, Parliament disruptions

Lucknow: In what appeared to be a calculated political move ahead of next year’s assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, prime minister Narendra Modi on Sunday sought to isolate Congress over ‘shirtless protest’ by its workers at the recent AI Summit in Delhi and disruptions in the Parliament.

Addressing a public meeting after flagging off Meerut Metro and Namo Bharat Train in Meerut, Modi thanked the alliance partners of the Congress for condemning the ‘shirtless protest’ at the AI Summit.

‘’Ek baat se mujhe santosh hai ki Congress ke sabhi sathi dalon ne Delhi ghatna ki alochana karne ki himmat dikhayi hai….mai iske liye unka sarvajanik roop se abhar vyakta karta hoon’’ (I am happy that all the alliance partners of the Congress have shown the courage to condemn the Delhi incident…I publicly express my gratitude to them for it), he said.

Going further in his attempt to isolate the grand old party, Modi said that Congress leaders did not allow its alliance partners to speak in the Parliament. ‘’The biggest loss due to this is being suffered by the allies of the Congress,’’ he said.

The prime minister also asked the media not to club the Congress’ behavior in the Parliament with the entire opposition. ‘’You (media) are shielding the Congress by doing this.....the opposition and others have now understood….Congress commits sin and they have to pay,’’ the prime minister said.

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav, an ally of the Congress in UP and BSP supremo Mayawati sharply criticized the Congress over the AI Summit protest.

‘’We may have internal differences but whatever the Congress did during the event was not proper,’’ Akhilesh said.