Youth Congress President Uday Bhanu Chib defends protest at AI Summit, says, it would not damage India's global image and raising current national issues was necessary. He maintains that protest was carried out legally and with due permission.

Union minister Piyush Goyal said the protest put the Congress's "arrogance and frustration on display", and asked Gandhi if "humiliating" India to target the BJP-led Centre is his "idea of opposition".

"While you want to choke India's development by peddling lies about the recent trade deals, your foot soldiers are marching shirtless at the prestigious AI Summit, attempting to embarrass 140 crore Indians globally," the senior BJP leader said in a post on X, flaying Gandhi over the protest.

"This disruption strategy only exposes your (Gandhi) and your party's lack of vision for India," Goyal added.

The members of Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha who had reached Rahul Gandhi's house have been taken by the police to Parliament Street police station.

India Youth Congress (IYC) President Uday Bhanu Chib is being questioned by Delhi Police. The interrogation, currently underway at the Parliament Street Police Station, comes hours after Congress workers staged a protest outside AI Summit.Joint Commissioner of Police is conducting the interrogation.

BJP workers burn Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's effigy in a protest outisde his house.

The gaggle of Youth Congress workers who stripped shirtless in an embarrassing moment at the India AI Impact Summit Friday, and rushed about waving t-shirts and shouting slogans denouncing the India-US tariff agreement, came 'fully prepared', government sources told NDTV.

Ten of them have been arrested already and the rest will be tracked down - with help from facial recognition technology - and held to account, sources said this afternoon.

Four of those arrested have been identified so far.

They are Krishna Hari, the Indian Youth Congress' National Secretary; Narasimha Yadav, the organisation's National Coordinator; and Kundan Yadav and Ajay Kumar, office-bearers from its Bihar and Uttar Pradesh units.

The protesters entered the summit as thousands have over the past five days - after registering with event security and displaying QR codes containing their entry passes. Once inside, the shirts came off.

In an exclusive conversation with NDTV's Senior Executive Editor Aditya Raj Kaul, Nir Dagan, Head of Innovation, Data and AI at the Israel National Digital Agency, described India not just as a rising AI power, but as a country uniquely positioned to shape the moral compass of the artificial intelligence age.

Speaking on the sidelines of the summit at Bharat Mandapam, Dagan said the scale of the New Delhi gathering was unlike anything he had seen before. "If 300,000 people arrived in Tel Aviv, it would double the population of the city," he remarked, calling the summit extraordinary not only for its size but also for the quality of debate and organisation. 

With heads of state, ministers and technologists in attendance, Dagan said the event underlined India's arrival as a serious global force in artificial intelligence.

A group of India Youth Congress (IYC) workers staged a brief protest at an exhibition hall of the AI Impact Summit and raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, before being whisked away by the security personnel.

A senior police officer said that around 10 people were detained when they were protesting at the AI Summit, news agency PTI reported.

"They were removed immediately and were taken to Tilak Marg police station. No one will be allowed to breach law and order situation," the officer said.

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav called the disruption "absolute shamelessness from Congress."

"At a time Bharat is taking strides positioning itself as a global technology powerhouse, Congress is going all out to embarrass the country. This is not political opposition, this is an attempt at sabotaging India's global image. Despicable," he said in a post on X.

As part of the framework of its trade deal with the US, India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers' grains, red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruits, soybean oil, wine and spirits, among others.

The US will, in turn, apply a reciprocal tariff of 18 per cent on Indian-origin goods under the relevant executive order, covering sectors such as textiles and apparel, leather and footwear, plastics and rubber, organic chemicals, home decor, artisanal products, and certain machinery.

The BJP called the attempt to disrupt the AI Summit the result of the Congress's "jealousy" of the India growth story.

"For the Congress, AI means anti-India," BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said. "The Congress has once again proven that INC is actually ANC, or Anti-National Congress. The protesters are not just shirtless, but characterless as well," Kohli added.

People at one of the halls at the AI Summit venue said they heard a crowd shouting slogans outside. When they went to check what happened, a group of shirtless men from the Youth Congress faced them.

Visuals showed the protesters shouted slogans against the government over agreeing to a trade deal with the US. The Opposition Congress has from the beginning alleged India didn't get justifiable benefits from the new trade framework signed with the US.

French President Emmanuel Macron wrapped up his action-packed India visit with a 'Dhurandhar' video. The French leader shared the glimpses from his trip in a 43-second montage, with the song 'Na De Dil Pardesi Nu' from the Hindi blockbuster 'Dhurandhar' playing in the background. 

The video has shots of Macron's ceremonial welcome, his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, temple visits, cultural engagements, and even a street jog in Mumbai. 

"Thank you, India," Macrom wrote on X, expressing gratitude for the hospitality extended to him during his trip.

India's first AI-powered air taxi was showcased at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam. A concept, which once seemed straight out of science fiction, is now on the cusp of becoming a reality as India prepares to introduce its first indigenously developed air taxi service.

Developed by The E Plane Company in collaboration with IIT Madras, the electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (e-VTOL) aircraft is designed to cut travel time in congested cities.

Unlike conventional aircraft, the e-VTOL does not require a runway for takeoff or landing. It can vertically take off and land, making it suitable for dense urban environments.

Indian GI Coffee features prominently at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 following the launch of 'Bharat GI', a national umbrella intellectual property initiative. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, stopped by to have a cup of coffee at the Bharat GI Coffee Lounge in Bharat Mandapam.

In a video shared by Bharat GI on X (formerly Twitter), Pichai can be heard saying 'wow' after he tastes the 'monsoon malabar' coffee.

The long-term goal is to bring together countries that are leaders in tech industries. By working together, these countries can unlock the full economic potential of AI and benefit from the new AI-driven economy.

Jacob Helberg, Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, stated that oil and steel powered the world in the 20th century and in the 21st century, the world runs on computers so the minerals, such as lithium and cobalt, are needed to make them.

Pax Silica aims to create a shared plan among trusted countries so they can build the AI and tech systems of the future. The initiative covers all steps in the technology supply chain, including everything from energy and critical minerals to high-tech manufacturing and AI models.

The countries involved in Pax Silica agree to work together for prosperity, technological progress and economic security.

India on Friday joined the Pax Silica - a US-led strategic alliance launched in December 2025 to secure the global AI and semiconductor supply chain and reduce dependence on non-aligned nations.

This will strengthen bilateral ties in areas like the production of critical minerals and semiconductors, and in the rapidly evolving Artificial Intelligence space, to create a safe and strong global silicon and technology ecosystem.

The signing ceremony was attended by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and US envoy to India Sergio Gor among others. Gor said Pax Silica is a coalition of capabilities.

The US-India partnership has a critical role to play in making the benefits of AI available to everyone and everywhere, said Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc.

Speaking at the AI Impact Summit, he said Google is proud to serve as a connection point between the two countries "both figuratively and literally".

"Yesterday, at the opening session, I shared some thoughts on this profound moment of AI. I said we are on the cusp of an era of hyper progress and new discoveries, but the best outcomes are not guaranteed," Pichai said.

He further said, "We must work together to ensure the benefits of AI are available to everyone and everywhere. The US India partnership has a critical role to play." Google is proud to serve as a connection point between them, both figuratively and literally, he added.

Elaborating, he said, "We have teams across both countries working seamlessly together on some of our most important initiatives, innovations that start in India, like Google Pay are making products better for people all over the world."

Bullish on India, Pichai said, "I believe India is going to have an extraordinary trajectory with AI, and we are supporting it with a full stack commitment, including product scaling and infrastructure."

India and Switzerland on Thursday placed artificial intelligence, innovation-led growth and expanding trade ties at the heart of their bilateral engagement, as Swiss President Guy Parmelin met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit in India's national capital.

The Swiss President stressed that India and Switzerland share common values when it comes to balancing innovation with responsibility. He argued that artificial intelligence offers a rare opportunity to ensure a more equitable technological transition than past industrial revolutions, provided governments act early to establish sound rules and safeguards.

Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made a light hearted remarks on Delhi's traffic congestion as he apologised for the delay in the joint session with UK Deputy PM David Lammy at the British High Commission here.

"Sorry, we're a few minutes late, that's entirely my fault. AI can do many things, as we've heard this week, but it can't yet fix Delhi's traffic. So, work to do," he said.

India and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday deepened their fast-expanding strategic partnership with a strong push on artificial intelligence, advanced technology and investment, as Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan concluded a two-day official visit to India.

On the sidelines of the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Sheikh Khaled on February 19. The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which spans political engagement, economic cooperation, energy security, culture and strong people-to-people ties. They also recalled recent high-profile visits to India by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other members of the Abu Dhabi and Dubai royal families, describing them as milestones that have added depth and trust to bilateral relations.

The leaders reviewed the "tremendous progress" achieved across sectors such as defence and security, trade and investment, education, and cultural cooperation.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday praised the AI Impact Summit, saying the first couple of days had gone "extremely well" and "some glitches" can happen at any "large event".

He said what has been impressive is the attendance of presidents, prime ministers, and world leaders who have come with a strong message of wanting to see a newly integrated world in artificial intelligence development.

While noting that the first couple of days went "extremely well" at the summit, Tharoor said there have been "some glitches" but such issues can happen at big events.

His remarks come a day after former Congress president Rahul Gandhi dubbed the ongoing AI Summit in Delhi a "disorganised PR spectacle" and alleged that Chinese products were being showcased there.