The Congress on Thursday hit back at the BJP-led government at the Centre accusing it of hypocrisy and double standards saying while on the one hand, it was holding a high-profile Artificial Intelligence Summit and at the same time, it was ordering deletion of the AI-generated satirical videos from the party’s social media handles.
The Congress asserted that it is an irony that the Narendra Modi government was resorting to gross abuse of power by misusing the provisions of the Information Technology Act and censoring the AI content at a time when it was holding the AI Summit.
Addressing a press conference here today, Chairperson of the Social Media and Digital Platforms, Supriya Shrinate, claimed that nine of the AI-generated videos created by Congress have been deleted over the last six weeks at the instance of the Modi government and BJP-ruled state administrations.
She clarified that all the videos prominently carried “AI Generated Video” disclaimers throughout their duration, asserting that there was no attempt to mislead viewers.
She also said the videos were political satire and dramatised commentary on issues the Opposition has consistently raised in Parliament and in public forums.
The Congress spokesperson said that takedown orders were issued either by police authorities in BJP-ruled states including Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, or by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) headed by Ashwini Vaishnaw under Sections 69A and 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, as well as under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
She said that Section 69A permits content blocking without adequate transparency, while Section 79(3)(b) enables platforms to avoid liability by complying with government removal directives. She said there is complete lack of transparency on why a video is being taken down, with no public order and complete secrecy, making judicial challenges difficult.
Shrinate further said that the newly proposed online censorship portal “Sahyog” empowers multiple government officials to issue takedown directives, which she noted amounted to expanding executive control over digital speech. “Now the bureaucrats will decide what the nation should and should not watch”, she remarked.
She also expressed deep disappointment over the mad race among social media platforms like YouTube, Meta and X to delete the videos and surrender before the Modi government.
The Congress leader also raised concerns about mismanagement at the ongoing AI Summit being held in New Delhi, while referring to logistical lapses, restrictions on equipment and inadequate internet connectivity for participants.
She also referred to a private university showcasing a Chinese-made robot as indigenously developed, which had been posted by the IT Minister Vaishnaw on his social media platform but was later deleted. “The university seems to have taken cue from the country’s Prime Minister who does not hesitate from lying and claiming credit for the achievements of others”, she remarked.
Shrinate reminded Modi about the contribution of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who built institutions like the IITs and IIMs, whose former students Modi is hugging and shaking hands with. The global CEOs are the products of those institutions built by Pandit Nehru, she pointed out.
The Congress leader reiterated and reaffirmed that the videos generated by the INC do not breach any law or decency and their only objective is to question the government, demand accountability, and highlight public issues, and maintained that political satire and criticism are legitimate in a democracy.
Shrinate also condemned the police for trying to threaten and intimidate the young IT people working with the party and dared the police to register a case against her and not try to intimidate the youngsters.
