‘No shame’: Shinde, Raut trade barbs over AI-generated audio of Bal Thackeray

Shinde accused Shiv Sena (UBT) of demeaning the legacy of the late Balasaheb Thackeray for their political gain.

Updated on: Apr 18, 2025, 02:08:52 IST

By HT News Desk

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A war of words erupted between Shiv Sena and Shiv Sena (UBT) over the use of Artificial Intelligence to recreate the voice of party founder Bal Thackeray at a rally in Nashik.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut hit back at Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde for criticising the use of Bal Thackeray's AI-generated voice in a rally. (PTI)

Eknath Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena, lashed out at rival Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena camp, accusing them of demeaning the legacy of the late Bal Thackeray for their political gain.

Nobody will stay with the Shiv Sena (UBT) because Uddhav Thackeray has "betrayed" his father's ideals, Shinde told reporters.

"We freed the Shiv Sena from the clutches of the Congress. They (Uddhav Thackeray and his party) were not only dislodged from power but also from the minds of the people. If they have any shame left, they should not resort to such childish acts and demean Balasaheb. Do not behave in a way that will hurt Balasaheb," he added.

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Eknath Shinde, now the chief of Shiv Sena, rebelled against then Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray's leadership in 2022 and split the party.

What's the controversy about?

At the heart of the controversy is a 13-minute audio clip, which was played at Shiv Sena's rally in Nashik on Wednesday. The audio clip featured an AI-created voice resembling that of Shiv Sena founder and Uddhav Thackeray's late father, Bal Thackeray.

The use of AI to create Maharashtra's veteran leader sparked outrage from opponents.

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State BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule also took to X to call the act a “childish stunt.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) hits back

As the BJP-Sena criticism grew intense, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut fired back at his political opponents, questioning the legitimacy of Shinde’s faction itself.

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Responding to Shinde and the BJP's barbs, Raut said those who formed a "fake Shiv Sena" using the Sena founder's name should not comment on the issue.

Artificial Intelligence technology was used to create Bal Thackeray's voice at a party event last month, too, and there was nothing new in it, he added.

(with PTI inputs)

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