‘There’s advice, not disrespect, in the clip’: Pawan Khera defends AI video ‘mocking’ PM Modi and his late mother

A political storm erupted after the Bihar Congress posted an AI-generated video depicting characters resembling Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother, Heeraben Modi. On Friday, Congress leader Pawan Khera defended the video alleged to mock PM Modi and his late mother. Khera challenged critics to show where the video displayed any disrespect.

He remarked, “In the video, the mother is only educating her child, and if the child thinks that it is disrespectful towards him, it is his headache, not mine, not yours.”

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He slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for “generating sympathy” for the PM, saying Modi cannot play “touch-me-not” politics. In the ruthless world of politics, he must also take the opposition’s sense of humour in stride. He later corrected himself and said that the video does not depict humour but ‘naseehat’ (advice).

“Where is the disrespect shown to his late mother? Show me one word, one gesture, anywhere where you see disrespect. Why does the BJP try to make an issue out of everything and try to generate fake sympathy? There is no fake sympathy for these things anymore. Actually, there is no humour in it, there is ‘naseehat’ in this,” he told ANI.

Meanwhile, defending Rahul Gandhi’s absence from the Vice President’s oath-taking ceremony, Khera said the real issue was not whether Gandhi attended or not.

Referring to speculations about former vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar being under house arrest following his resignation and absence from public life, Khera remarked, “The issue is that Mr. Dhankhar was there; finally, he has been allowed to leave his house and come out. When will he be allowed to speak? That is our question.”

BJP slams AI-generated video of PM Modi, his mother by Bihar Congress

A political row was triggered after the Bihar Congress posted an AI-generated video on X appearing to show characters resembling Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother, Heeraben Modi. The 36-second clip, marked “AI GENERATED,” has been widely shared online and is being seen by the BJP as a personal attack ahead of the politically heated Bihar elections.

The Congress’s video, captioned “Maa appears in sahab’s dreams,” comes in the midst of the intense Bihar poll. The BJP has demanded an apology and action against those responsible for posting the video, terming it a calculated move aimed at hurting sentiments ahead of polls.

BJP condemned the video, calling it a new low in politics and saying that the grand old party has crossed all limits.

MP Radha Mohan Das Agrawal said, “Prime Minister Modi has always kept politics separate from family life. It is painful that the Congress first abused the prime minister’s mother and is now using deepfake technology to mislead the country and insult all mothers,” he said, adding that he would take the matter to the Election Commission.

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also lashed out at the Congress on X stating that “Far from remorse for abusing PM’s mother, Congress justified and defended the accused with lies. This party has become ‘Gaaliwadi’ instead of Gandhiwadi,” he posted, calling the clip “disgusting” and “shameful.”

Earlier on August 27, the Congress party during ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ on August 27 dragged the names of PM Modi and his mother. An unidentified man hurled abuses at PM Modi and his mother in Darbhanga. Slogans with abusive content were directed at PM Modi and his deceased mother.

BJP and PM Modi slammed the incident, saying the episode was “unimaginable” and “an insult to all mothers, sisters and daughters of the country.” He stressed that his mother had “nothing to do with politics.”

Following the episode, NDA’s women’s wing in Bihar called a five-hour bandh, stating the remarks as an undermining of the dignity of women across the state. BJP leaders demanded apologies, while Congress and RJD claimed the abuse came from unknown individuals “outside their control”.