In a scathing attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (February 22, 2026) accused the principal Opposition party of indulging in “dirty and shameless politics”. Linking the party’s youth wing’s “shirtless” protest on Friday (February 20, 2026) at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi to the nation’s image, Mr. Modi said the Congress and its ecosystem had touched a new low. Separating the Congress from the rest of the Opposition, Mr. Modi said even the Congress’s allies had deserted it on the issue. Describing it as a pattern, Mr. Modi, for the first time, reacted to Speaker Om Birla’s apprehension over the picketing of his (Mr. Modi’s) Lok Sabha seat by female Congress MPs. Referring to the recent trade deals with the European Union and the U.S., Mr. Modi said the developed world was eager to trade with India.

Source: The Hindu February 22, 2026 13:52 UTC