'My Pic Used For Political Agenda': Brazilian Woman On Rahul Gandhi's H-Bomb

Larissa Nery, the Brazilian woman whose face went viral after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's fresh allegations regarding the Haryana election, told NDTV that she believed the "madness" was a result of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Larissa, a hairdresser - and not a 'model' as claimed by Gandhi - said she felt "scared" when her picture became the epicenter of a massive row.

"At first, I didn't understand what had actually happened. I thought it was a bad joke. I thought it was AI. Initially, I thought it was funny when I saw the video with my picture in the background. But when I understood what was happening, I got scared. Now I don't know what to do because I'm unsure of what people are doing with my image. I just can't understand these memes they are making with my photo, as I don't know the language," Larissa told NDTV.

Larissa clarified that the viral picture was taken around eight years back when she was about 20 years old, adding that she got it clicked for a photographer friend. "I got the photo clicked for a friend who was a photographer at that time. I took it to help him. It was clicked in front of my house by a wall, so it was not even professional. I was never a model. In fact, I'm a hairdresser and I have been for many years. I'm just a normal person who ended up in the middle of this madness," she said.

The photograph, titled 'woman wearing blue denim jacket', is available for free download on stock photography websites such as Unsplash and Pexels. While Larissa is not named on these websites, the photographer is Matheus Ferrero, based in the Brazilian city, Belo Horizonte. The photograph has been downloaded over 4 lakh times from these two websites.

"I had seen the photo being used in photo editing apps. Some specific brands had also used it to promote their work. It was never for anything illegal or a political agenda, like what was done this time," Larissa said.

Also Read: "I Cast My Vote, Don't Know Who That Is": Voter In 'Brazilian Model' Row

The Brazilian woman said she has never visited India, nor has she ever heard of Rahul Gandhi.

"I don't know anyone. I've never even heard of them. I don't participate in anything political - not even in Brazil, to be honest. I've never been to India. In fact, I've never even left Brazil," she said.

Larissa said that none of the authorities have spoken to her so far - except for media persons and regular citizens.

"Some people, Indians and Brazilians, began sending me direct messages on Instagram, sharing the video yesterday," she said.

Larissa had made her Instagram profile private yesterday, but it has now been made public again.

According to Larissa, the incident was not exactly a form a harassment, but she does not think it was right.

"If it were something nice that was promoting my work or Matheus's (the photographer friend) work, I would have been very happy. But it was used for the wrong purposes. It is sad to know that my image was linked to this type of thing. I don't know if harassment is the right word; I don't think so, but it felt like an attack. It was not cool," the Brazilian woman said.

On her next steps, Larissa said she is in touch with her lawyer, trying to get advice.

"It has just happened. I'm still figuring out how this changes my reality. It was big, but it was big in India. It has not reached Brazil yet. If it does, then I will have to take some action. I've been in touch with my lawyer, trying to get advice. Because improper use of someone's picture is a crime, right? But I still don't know what I can do to take action regarding my rights. My lawyer and I are waiting for things to calm down in India so we can understand where the idea came from and who used the picture. Then we can take necessary steps," she said.

Rahul Gandhi's H-Bomb

Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged massive vote fraud in the Haryana Assembly polls last year and claimed that the photograph of the Brazilian woman (Larissa) appears 22 times in the voter list for Haryana's Rai Assembly constituency - a seat BJP's Krishna Gahlawat won, beating the Congress' Bhagwan Antil by 4,673 votes.

When someone in the audience pointed out that she did not appear to be from Haryana, Gandhi replied, "But she votes 22 times in Haryana, and she votes in 10 different booths in Haryana, and she has got multiple names: Seema, Sweety, Saraswati, Rashmi, Vimla. This is a photograph of a Brazilian model," he said.

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Gandhi alleged that it was a "centralised operation". "Somebody fed this lady into the electoral list at a centralised level, not at the booth level," he said.

Showing more instances of voter IDs with the same pictures but different names, Gandhi said, "The Election Commission can remove duplicates in a second. Why don't they do it? Reason: they are helping the BJP. I am questioning the Election Commission and the democratic process in India, and I am doing this with 100 per cent proof. We are sure that a plan was put in motion to convert Congress's landslide victory into a loss," he said.

Sources in the Election Commission questioned what polling agents of the Congress were doing on voting day. "They are supposed to object if the elector has already voted or if they doubt the identity of the elector," a source said. They also asked if Gandhi supports the Special Intensive Revision aimed at removing duplication from voter lists and striking off names of those who have died or moved from a particular constituency.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju slammed the Congress leader, saying he talks about "fake issues". "Polling is happening in Bihar, yet he's telling stories about Haryana. There's nothing left in Bihar, so he's shifting the narrative to Haryana," he said.

Reacting to the viral photo, Larissa had posted on her Instagram stories, saying she was being portrayed as Indian to "scam people".

"Guys, they are using an old photo of mine. It's an old photo, okay? I was like 18 or 20 years old. I don't know if it's an election or something about voting... And in India. Ah! They're portraying me as Indian to scam people, guys. What madness! What craziness is this? What world do we live in? A reporter called me wanting to know about this whole thing, about going to the salon, my job...wanting to talk to me for an interview, but I didn't answer. The guy found me on Instagram, called me on Instagram. Now, another person who has nothing to do with the matter, a friend of mine from across the city, sends me a photo. You won't believe it. Oh man," she said in Portuguese.