Rahul Gandhi backs Youth Congress after leaders’ arrest, calls peaceful protest a constitutional right

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi has publicly supported the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) following the arrest of its president, saying that “peaceful protest is our historical legacy” and asserting pride in the party’s youth activists who demonstrated at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

Gandhi’s remarks came in the wake of Indian Youth Congress President Uday Bhanu Chib being taken into police custody in connection with a controversial protest at the summit venue.

In a post on social media platform X, Gandhi wrote, “Peaceful protest is our historical legacy. It is in our blood and is the democratic right of every Indian. I am proud of my Babbar Sher comrades in the Youth Congress, who have fearlessly raised their voices in the interest of the country against the ‘COMPROMISED PM’.”

He added that the Congress Party and I stand firmly with our Babbar Sher comrades, and that holding a mirror to the truth to power is not a crime, it is patriotism. Gandhi urged members not to fear, saying “truth and the Constitution are with us” — emphasising freedom of dissent as a foundational democratic principle.

The remarks follow the arrest of Chib and other Youth Congress members by Delhi Police after a group of activists staged a protest inside the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi during the AI Impact Summit, saying the demonstration was aimed at protesting perceived government actions and policies.

Chib’s detention brought criticism from multiple Congress leaders, who described the police action as excessive and a threat to democratic expression.

Gandhi’s support has been echoed by others in the party, underscoring the opposition’s concerns about what they see as a narrowing space for peaceful political expression around public events of national significance.