SOLAPUR/SATARA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the
opposition
on Monday of conspiring to disrupt the peaceful electoral process so far by circulating
fake videos
of the BJP brass, including him and home minister Amit
Shah
.
“They have created fake videos of me, Amitbhai, (JP) Naddaji and some of our chief ministers. Using
AI
, they have put words in our mouth that we cannot even dream of uttering,” Modi said while
campaigning
in Maharashtra, coinciding with the arrest of an alleged Congress “war room coordinator” in Assam for sharing such a video of Shah.
“I am making this charge with all seriousness. I want to make a special request to the
Commission of India to take stringent action,” he said. The PM, who was campaigning in Satara for BJP candidate Udayanraje Bhonsle, urged the crowd not to commit the crime of sharing videos that appear doctored. “If you get these videos on WhatsApp, please alert us. Do not circulate. Approach police.”
Congman ‘linked’ to fake Shah video held
A 31-year-old man was arrested in Guwahati on Monday for allegedly sharing a “fake video” of Union home minister Amit Shah.
Assam chief minister
Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on X the arrest of Reetom Singh, who is associated with Assam Congress and functions as the party’s ‘war room coordinator’, according to his social media profile.
Incidentally, BJP on Monday filed three complaints with EC. It accused Congress of circulating a “deep fake and morphed” video of Shah to disrupt the electoral process. BJP also lodged a complaint against TMC, alleging that the party has resorted to violence as a tactic, and urged the poll panel to ensure a fair election in West Bengal. The third complaint is against Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate for “exploitation and misuse of innocent children for political gains, during the ongoing polls.”
A BJP delegation, comprising Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and national media cell in-charge Anil Baluni, presented these complaints to EC. “Congress wants to derail the election process through a deep fake and morphed video (of Amit Shah). It has tried to create confusion among people by posting the video from its official handle,” said Vaishnaw.
