Mumbai, February 20 (NationPress) The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) has criticized the highly publicized ‘India AI Impact Summit 2026', which was intended to serve as a global exhibition of India’s technological capabilities, but has instead attracted significant international scrutiny and domestic disapproval.

The party remarked, “While the summit was designed to showcase the nation’s Aatmanirbhar (self-reliance) initiatives, a series of misleading presentations by a private educational institution turned the event into a target of global mockery,”.

In its mouthpiece 'Saamana', the Thackeray faction took a jab at the BJP-led central government, stating that it has become synonymous with mere “events.”

“Prime Minister Modi appears to prefer this celebratory approach, ensuring that every initiative or program is conducted as an event. The ‘India AI Impact Summit, 2026', a global showcase held in New Delhi, was no exception. Similar to previous government-sponsored events, this summit also faced backlash. Instead of garnering international praise, it led to India’s embarrassment due to the false claims made by Galgotias University,” the party noted.

The editorial highlighted that the controversy arose during the exhibition at Bharat Mandapam, where Galgotias University showcased high-tech products falsely labeled as indigenous innovations. “They presented a four-legged robotic dog named 'Orion', claiming it was an in-house development by their Centre of Excellence. However, experts and social media users quickly identified it as the Unitree Go2', a product available commercially from the Chinese company Unitree Robotics,” the editorial stated.

Following the uproar over the robotic dog, a 'Soccer Drone' presented by the same institution also faced criticism. Although university representatives touted it as a homegrown engineering feat, it was exposed as a product created by South Korea's Helsel Group, according to the editorial.

As the backlash intensified, government officials took the unusual step of disconnecting the power supply to the university’s stall and instructing its representatives to vacate the area immediately, the editorial reported.

“This embarrassment reached the highest echelons of government. Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, initially shared a video of the robotic dog on his official social media profile, seemingly oblivious to its foreign origin. The post was deleted shortly after the truth came to light, prompting fierce criticism regarding the lack of oversight at an international summit,” the Thackeray camp asserted.

Amidst the turmoil, the editorial mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the summit, introducing a new ethical framework for Artificial Intelligence termed the 'MANAV' Vision. “While the Prime Minister’s vision was well-received by global tech leaders, the fraudulent activities occurring at the summit itself -- which directly contradicted these principles of accountability and validity -- overshadowed the event. Although these ideas are significant, they were undermined by the deceit perpetrated by an Indian university at the exhibition. It raises the question of whether this 'AI Mahakumbh' truly showcased India's strength in the global AI arena or was just another case of governmental mismanagement,” the Thackeray camp remarked.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena concluded that the event, intended to highlight “Self-reliant India,” ultimately revealed substantial mismanagement and a dependency on “borrowed” innovation.