Former chief minister of Uttarakhand Harish Rawat has sought an apology from the BJP after the party’s state unit posted a reel on its official social media handle accusing the senior Congress leader of “Muslim appeasement”.
Rawat demanded that the BJP issue an apology and remove the reel immediately. He warned that if this was not done, he would file an FIR and stage a protest outside the BJP office.
The AI-generated reel begins with Rawat’s voice saying, “Muslim Sharanam Gacchami, Mazar Sharanam Gacchami, Love Jihad Sharanam Gacchami” (I take refuge in Muslims, I take refuge in shrines, I take refuge in ‘love jihad’).
The reel then reportedly shows images of a ‘mazaar’ being constructed, along with visuals of people smiling and speaking about turning Uttarakhand’s ‘Devbhoomi’ into a land of ‘mazaars’.
Towards the end of the video, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is shown walking alongside police personnel and bulldozers. The 29-second reel claims that the Congress, driven by a hunger for power, has only cared about the chief minister’s chair, even at the cost of the sanctity of ‘Devbhoomi’. It further alleges that vote-bank politics led to a change in the demography of the hills, but says this will no longer be allowed under the BJP government.
It also states that any attempt to alter the culture and demography of Devbhoomi will not be tolerated. The reel adds that every infiltrator will be identified and expelled.
It also states that any attempt to alter the culture and demography of Devbhoomi will not be tolerated.
In a post on social media, Rawat said the video was a deliberate attempt to create a false narrative against him using artificial intelligence. He said this exposed the true character of the BJP and the so-called “powerful Dhami”.
Rawat questioned the BJP’s actions, asking how a party’s official social media pages could spread what he called falsehoods. He said political attacks were being carried out against opponents through lies.
He warned that if the video was not removed and an apology was not issued, he would be forced to lodge an FIR. He also said he would file a complaint under cybercrime laws.
Rawat further threatened to hold a week-long protest outside the BJP office if the video was not taken down.
Responding to the controversy, Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt said appeasement politics has always been part of the Congress agenda.
"This image of the Congress appeasement politics is so deeply ingrained in the public's mind that they cannot get rid of it even if they want to," he said.
He added that if Rawat wished to file a police complaint in the matter, he was free to do so.
Also Read: SC slams U’khand govt over grabbing of forest land
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