India's Parliamentary Committee Commends AI Impact Summit

On 24 February 2026, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology commended the successful organisation of the India AI Impact Summit. The resolution was adopted despite a heated exchange regarding its wording and scope, reflecting underlying tensions among party members.

The meeting, chaired by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Nishikant Dubey, saw BJP MP Amarpal Maurya propose a resolution that referenced a protest that took place at the summit venue, Bharat Mandapam, on 20 February. Opposition party members raised objections, arguing that mentioning this protest would necessitate acknowledging other contentious incidents, including a recent episode involving Galgotias University.

Congress MP Saket Gokhale argued that including a single protest in a resolution that was intended to celebrate the summit was unfair and would open the door to continuous negativity. A member of the committee emphasised that adding negative context could bring forth numerous incidents that would warrant mention.

The opposition insisted that they would back the resolution only if it maintained a positive narrative focused solely on the AI summit. This disagreement meant that the motion was not initially put to vote as BJP members were short in numbers. The motion was revisited later when more members joined, resulting in the resolution passing with a vote of 10 to 6.

Opposition voters included two MPs from Congress and one each from Shiv Sena (United Blocks), the Samajwadi Party, and the Trinamool Congress. They reiterated their support for the summit but contended that emphasising the protest was unnecessary for a successful event.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi remarked, "While we wholeheartedly endorse the AI Summit and understand its importance, the Standing Committee is not the platform to air such disagreements. This platform exists to ensure better coordination, not for confrontation."

In a press note released after the meeting, the committee labelled the summit, which ran from 16 to 20 February in New Delhi, as a "grand success" and attributed its organisation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. The summit reportedly drew participation from representatives of 91 countries and concluded with a diplomatic declaration on inclusive AI development.

The note highlighted investment commitments exceeding $200 billion announced by global tech companies. Notably, Google revealed plans to establish a significant data centre in India and a new subsea cable link directly connecting India to the United States.

While the committee acknowledged an "unfortunate incident" that occurred at the summit on 20 February, it chose not to detail the specifics of the protest, which involved members of the Indian Youth Congress demonstrating shirtless. This protest led to the arrest of IYC president Uday Bhanu Chib, further stirring discussions about the political climate surrounding artificial intelligence advancements in the country.