Congress using AI- generated videos to spread lies: CM Yogi on Manikarnika ghat row

Yogi Adityanath said the lies of those attempting to mislead the public over social media on the issue would be exposed

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said the Congress was spreading blatant lies and attempting to mislead the public over social media regarding the ongoing development work at Manikarnika ghat.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath talking to reporters in Varanasi on January 17. (HT photo)

He further said AI-generated videos of temples being demolished were being shown, adding the redevelopment work at the ghat was being done without disturbing its mythological significance and religious practices.

Addressing reporters in Varanasi, Yogi said: “Whenever a new work begins, they (Congress leaders) attempt to spread negativity. When the Kashi Vishwanath Dham was being constructed, some people hatched conspiracies. They even brought broken idols and made their pictures viral on social media, spreading blatant lies that temples were being demolished.”

The CM said the lies of those attempting to mislead the public over social media on the issue would be exposed. He said every follower of Sanatan Dharma and every Indian has immense reverence for Kashi, but Kashi did not receive the respect and development it deserved before 2014.

“In the last 11 years, Kashi is once again preserving and promoting its spiritual and cultural heritage and is also achieving new heights through development,” Yogi said. “The people of Kashi are well aware of the truth and are standing firmly with the development works,” he added.

On Friday, Con­gress lead­ers in Varanasi deman­ded a thor­ough probe into the alleg­a­tion made by some local people about dam­age to arte­facts asso­ci­ated with 18th-century queen of Indore Ahilyabai Holkar and removal of her statue from a small shrine on a plat­form at Manikarnika Ghat dur­ing ongo­ing renov­a­tion work last Sat­urday.

Deny­ing the alleg­a­tion, dis­trict magis­trate Saty­endra Kumar said, “No temple was dam­aged at Manikarnika Ghat. Renov­a­tion work of the Manikarnika Ghat is being done to equip it with state-of-the-art facil­it­ies. Idols and arte­facts found at a plat­form on Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi will be pre­served. The idols will be installed after the con­struc­tion work is com­pleted.”