Thiruvananthapuram: BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has criticised students at Stanford University who staged a walkout during Google chief executive Sundar Pichai’s commencement address, describing their actions as an example of “extreme ignorance”.

In a post on social media, Chandrasekhar shared footage of the protest and said the students had missed an opportunity to hear from a globally successful technology leader and alumnus of the university.

“This is the latest example of the extreme ignorance that seems to have gripped some of our youth today,” he said, adding that the students had “squandered” a chance to engage with ideas from a world-class institution.

According to reports, around 200 students walked out of the ceremony at Stanford University in solidarity with Palestine, while Pichai addressed the graduating class. Several participants were seen waving Palestinian flags, carrying banners and chanting “Free Palestine”.

Chandrasekhar acknowledged that young people often challenge authority and engage in activism, but said such actions should not be confused with “ignorance or foolish behaviour”. He added, “You are living in the age of Artificial Intelligence, not in the age of ignorance.”

The protest took place during Stanford’s 135th commencement ceremony, which reportedly drew more than 20,000 attendees, including around 3,600 graduating students.

According to the Stanford Report, Pichai who holds a master’s degree from the university returned to his alma mater to deliver the keynote address to the class of 2026. A separate report by SFGate said the walkout occurred as he spoke, with demonstrators objecting to Google’s business links with the Israeli government, including its involvement in the Project Nimbus cloud computing contract signed in 2021.

The protest was reportedly organised by student groups including Students for Justice in Palestine and No Tech for Apartheid, continuing a series of demonstrations at Stanford commencements in recent years linked to the Gaza conflict and campus activism.

Video shared on social media showed students leaving the ceremony mid-speech while chanting slogans and holding Palestinian flags as Pichai addressed graduates.

PTI