Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar said today that the deep fake video on his cabinet colleague Amit Shah is a "deliberate violation of the law" by the Congress and appears to be part of a pattern, indicating it is a strategy. The minister also expressed shock that while efforts to disrupt the election can be made from across the border, or by Khalistanis from Canada, it was inconceivable that a national party would stoop to it.
"I expect the elements in Canada to do this. I expect people in Pakistan to do, I expect people in the northern country to do this. But I would have never thought that in such a brazen manner, a national political party would get so desperate that they will also start editing videos and distorting the truth to push a line," he added.
On why he thinks it is a strategy of the Congress, the minister cited an incident in Kerala.
"Just a few weeks ago in Kerala, a Congress party worker morphed an image of me along with somebody else, to do something that is absolutely in the realm of misinformation and life. So this is not some isolated incident happening," he told NDTV in an exclusive interview.
"This seems to be a pattern. And this seems to be a concerted strategy on part of the Congress because they are left with no other option but to lie their way and gain some votes," he added.
Three persons -- one of them from Gujarat -- have already been arrested for the doctored video that tried to show the Union home minister saying he would remove reservations -- which the Congress alleges is a BJP plan, to be implemented if they achieving the targetted 400-majority in the Lok Sabha. The Delhi Police has also summoned Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for questioning in the case.
Amid the national election, the video was allegedly shared by the official X handle of Telangana Congress, after which many party leaders re-posted it.
The deep-fake video attempted to portray Mr Shah talking about scrapping all reservations, while he was actually referring to removing quota only for Muslims on religious grounds in Telangana. The BJP had scrapped such a quota in Karnataka before it lost power to the Congress.
At a press conference later, Mr Shah played both videos to show what he actually said and what the doctored content projected.
Declaring that the people involved will be have to face action, Mr Chandrasekhar said it was "shocking is that there is a Chief Minister who is party to it and there is a national party or the oldest national party, party to it".
