Patna High Court on Wednesday ordered the Congress party to take down a controversial AI-made video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his deceased mother, Heeraben Modi, shared by the party’s Bihar unit on social media. The court’s verdict has heightened political tensions before the Bihar Assembly polls.
Court’s Order On Embarrassing Video
Acting Chief Justice PB Bajantri directed the instant deletion of the 36-second video, labeled “AI GENERATED,” from all social media sites. The video, uploaded on September 10, shows PM Modi fantasising about his deceased mother criticising his political tactics in poll-bound Bihar. The court ruling is against a complaint that the video defames Heeraben Modi and offends motherhood.
BJP Criticises Congress For “Shameful” Moves
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners criticized the video, blaming Congress for using low-level tactics to attack the Prime Minister. The BJP intimated the video was a purposeful provocation in the run-up to the Bihar elections this year. “This is an outrage to the dignity of the Prime Minister and his mother,” a BJP spokesperson said.
Congress Deprecates Video, Denies Disrespect
The Congress party asserted that the video demonstrated no disrespect towards PM Modi or his deceased mother. The Bihar unit justified the post as a creative criticism, reiterating its AI-generated nature. But the furor has attracted a large amount of criticism, with people saying that it goes beyond ethical limits.
Delhi Police Registers Case
On September 13, Delhi Police registered a case against Congress and its IT cell after a complaint by Sanket Gupta, convenor of the BJP Delhi Election Cell. The complaint, lodged at North Avenue police station, described the video as defamatory and offensive to Heeraben Modi’s dignity and the concept of motherhood.
Second Controversy Involving PM’s Mother
This marks the second instance in over a month where PM Modi and his late mother have been embroiled in political controversy. On 27th August, during the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Darbhanga, organised by Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the expletive slogans of PM Modi and Heeraben were allegedly raised. PM Modi described the event as “unimaginable” and an “insult to all mothers, sisters, and daughters,” emphasising that his mother was not involved in politics.
Political Fallout Leading Up To Bihar Elections
The scandal has fueled tensions as Bihar prepares for its assembly elections. BJP has taken the opportunity to present Congress’s behavior as disrespectful, while Congress blames the ruling party for politicising the matter. The court ruling is bound to continue framing the narrative in this high-profile election contest. This rewritten text adopts a compact news style with subheadings to enhance readability and SEO, while ensuring factuality and impartiality. It includes essential facts, eschews speculation, and adheres to journalistic ethics.
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