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Row over Assam BJP’s AI video targeting minority; Congress to file police complaint
While the BJP has defended the video, which was circulated on social media handles of the party on Monday, as showing the threat posed by illegal immigrants, oppn Congress has decided to file an FIR
A video generated using artificial intelligence (AI) by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s state unit in Assam depicting a Muslim-majority Assam if there was no BJP has ignited a political row with the Congress party deciding to file a police complaint on Thursday.
While the BJP has defended the video, which was circulated on social media handles of the party on Monday, as showing the threat posed by illegal immigrants, opposition Congress has decided to file a police complaint for showing MP and the party’s state unit chief, Gaurav Gogoi, in the video.
“The words, actions and images produced by the BJP IT cell do not even have the strength to scratch the surface of Assamese society...The proud and great state of Assam deserves politicians who help the people of Assam reach new heights,” Gogoi posted on X on Wednesday.
Also Read:SIT submits report to Assam CM on Gaurav Gogoi’s alleged links with Pakistan
“We want to build a society of pilots, engineers, doctors, entrepreneurs, bankers and business owners. We want to see a bor (greater) Assam where hard work trumps hate, decency matters over hubris, democracy crushes autocracy, and everyone is treated with respect,” he added.
A release by the Congress’s media department stated that it would file an FIR against Assam BJP on Thursday for “posting a communal video on social media targeting our (state) president and party.”
The video was released ahead of the September 22 election to the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) , which runs administration in four districts, gives the tagline “We can’t let this dream of Paaijaan to be true”.
Assembly election in Assam is slated for April-May next year.
Paijaan is a term which the state BJP has coined for Gogoi, who state chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been accusing since February this year of having close ties with Pakistan.
A special investigation team (SIT) formed to probe the Congress leader’s alleged links with the neighbouring country submitted its report to Sarma this month. Its contents are not public yet.
Defending the BJP’s video, cabinet minister Pijush Hazarika on Wednesday said that it wasn’t targeting all Muslims in Assam but showed a probable scenario of undocumented migrants (from Bangladesh) changing the state’s demography.
“The video clearly spoke about the threat of illegal immigrants who are changing Assam’s demography — but instantly these “champions of secularism” screamed Islamophobia!,” he posted on X.
“If, in their logic, talking about illegal immigrants = Islamophobia, then aren’t they themselves suggesting that all Muslims are illegal immigrants? Who’s the real Islamophobe here? Them or us?,” he added.
