The political battle over alleged paid content targeting the AI Summit intensified with the Indian National Congress claiming several influencers deleted posts after a legal warning, even as the Bharatiya Janata Party stood by its charges.
The Indian Youth Congress said it had issued a formal legal notice to individuals, influencers and digital platforms, asking them to remove what it described as “defamatory and fabricated content” within 24 hours or face civil and criminal action.
The notice, issued by its legal cell led by Roopesh S Bhadouria, alleged a “malicious and politically motivated propaganda campaign” aimed at defaming the organisation. It warned of proceedings including defamation, damages and injunctions if the content was not taken down.
Soon after the warning, Congress leaders claimed that several social media users who had alleged they were offered money to criticise the summit removed their videos. The controversy began after multiple digital creators shared videos and screenshots claiming they had received messages offering between Rs 10,000 and Rs 1.5 lakh to post content critical of the AI Summit. Some alleged that the messages included suggested scripts portraying the event in a negative light. These claims have not been independently verified.
Some of the social media users who made such claims included digital creator Vinayak Dev Trivedi, who shared screenshots of an alleged conversation offering up to Rs 25,000 for a video criticising the summit. Others, including Preeti Bhati and accounts such as Charmingchaoss, @chhotatoofan and @unfilteredakshar, also posted similar claims. Additional names surfaced in online compilations, with some alleging higher payments based on follower reach. NDTV has not independently verified these claims.
Rejecting the allegations, Congress leaders said the claims were fabricated and part of a coordinated misinformation campaign. Supriya Shrinate, who heads the party's social media and digital platforms, said the screenshots being circulated lacked basic details such as names or verified contact information, calling them “fake narratives” designed to mislead.
Another Congress leader, Ruchira Chaturvedi, said the alleged influencer campaign had “collapsed” after legal action was threatened, and questioned why those who made the claims deleted their posts.
The BJP, however, maintained that the allegations were credible. Party spokesperson Sambit Patra said several social media users had publicly shared messages and reels claiming they were offered money to criticise the summit.
Shehzad Poonawalla also accused the Congress of orchestrating a campaign to defame a global event, alleging that influencers were paid to create negative content.
With both sides trading charges and the Congress moving towards legal action, the row has moved beyond social media, highlighting the growing role of influencers and unverified claims in shaping political narratives online.
