New Delhi
Lok Sabha Elections 2024: India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has accused the principal opposition party Indian National Congress of deploying "deepfakes" to "mislead" people during the country's raging election campaign in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third term in a row.
The row erupted after Congress leaders shared a video in which a BJP lawmaker from northern Uttar Pradesh state's Azamgarh, Dinesh Lal Yadav, popularly known as Nirahua, can be heard making controversial remarks against PM Modi and the state chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
In the video, denounced by the BJP as a 'deepfake', Yadav can be heard saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath did their part to limit unemployment by choosing not to have children of their own.
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Taking to X, the BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya alleged that the video circulated by the Congress leaders was fake and that the Azamgarh MP will file a First Information Report (FIR) against Indian Youth Congress (IYC) national president Srinivas BV for sharing the clip.
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"This video is fake. The Congress, like in MP, is using deepfakes to mislead people, create unrest and sow divisions in the society. Dinesh Lal Yadav, BJP MP from Azamgarh, is filing FIR against IYC President, who is a habitual offender. Complaint also being filed with @ECISVEEP. We have all screenshots (with time stamp) and video recordings for a legal case," Malviya said in the post.
In the video, Yadav allegedly said, "Modi Ji and Yogi Ji have addressed the unemployment issue because they themselves do not have any children. On the contrary, those who continue to have multiple children are contributing to the rise in unemployment."
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Reacting to the controversy, the Bhojpuri star-turned-politician said, "Promoting fake videos has become a trend for @INCIndia people, anyone who sees it will understand that the lips are saying something else. What do you want to prove by cloning the sound with AI @srinivasiyc."
The BJP has fielded Dinesh Lal Yadav from Azamgarh, a seat the Bhojpuri pop star won in a 2022 by-election after the serving MP and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav vacated the constituency to make way for himself for the state legislative assembly in Lucknow.