‘PR show, data for sale’: Rahul targets govt over Galgotias' robodog row at AI Summit

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked the Modi government over the India AI Impact Summit, calling it a “disorganised PR spectacle” and alleging that “Indian data” was being put “up for sale” while “Chinese products” were being showcased. 

Gandhi’s swipe came as the summit faced ridicule online over exhibits and claims made on the show floor, including the now-viral “robodog” episode involving Galgotias University.

In his post on X, Gandhi said the summit was failing to leverage India’s “talent and data” and instead had become a public relations event with misplaced priorities.

Instead of leveraging India’s talent and data, the AI summit is a disorganised PR spectacle - Indian data up for sale, Chinese products showcased. https://t.co/5liaoX0XXp

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 18, 2026

The Congress’ official handle doubled down minutes earlier, alleging that India was being made a “laughing stock” globally on AI, and claimed that “Chinese robots are being displayed as our own”, adding that “Chinese media has mocked us”. 

The party also targeted Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, claiming it was “more shameful” that he was “promoting China’s robots at the Indian summit”. 

Calling the episode “truly embarrassing”, the Congress alleged the government had caused “irreparable damage” to India’s image and “reduced AI to a joke”, arguing India could be a world leader “given our data power”. 

The political attack landed amid an intensifying row around Galgotias University’s robot dog display at the summit. 

While the university later issued a clarification online saying it had procured the device for learning and had not built it, sources at the venue said the institution was asked to vacate its expo space after the backlash gathered pace.

The government and summit organisers have not issued a detailed response to Gandhi’s specific allegations on data or foreign products at the time of writing.