"Stooping To New Lows": BJP On AI Video Of PM's Mother, Congress Doubles Down

As the controversy over the AI video on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother snowballed on Friday, the Congress doubled down, saying nobody had been disrespected and the video was about a parent educating her child.

"It is the duty of parents to educate their children. She (PM Modi's late mother Heeraben Modi) is only educating her child and if the child thinks that it is disrespectful towards him, it is his headache," Congress leader Pawan Khera said. 

Mr Khera's comments came after the BJP alleged that the video posted by the Bihar Congress on X, which shows an AI likeness of Heeraben Modi criticising PM Modi for using her to get votes, was an insult to all women and that the Congress is stooping to new lows. 

BJP spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain pointed out that expletives had been used against PM Modi and Heeraben Modi - who died in 2022 at the age of 99 - during an opposition rally last month.

"The Congress is stooping to new lows. First, expletives were used against Prime Minister Modi's mother from a Congress stage. Now, the party is insulting her again by creating an AI-generated video of her. Bihar and India will not tolerate this insult. Making such a video and putting words into the mouth of the Prime Minister's mother, who is no longer with us, is unfortunate. The Congress should rise above this shamelessness. It will pay for this in the elections as the people of Bihar are very angry," Mr Hussain said.

BJP spokesperson Arvind Kumar Singh also said the video mocked the sentiments of mothers in the country. 

"It is unfortunate that the Congress has released an AI video of PM Modi's mother. They are mocking the sentiments of crores of mothers in this country. For us, mothers are revered like Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. Congress leaders must apologise immediately," he said. 

'Where Is The Disrespect?'

Congress leader Pawan Khera, who heads the party's media and publicity department, said nobody had been disrespected and claimed that the BJP was trying to use the issue to garner sympathy.

"Where is the disrespect shown to his late mother? Show me one word, one gesture, one signal... anywhere you see disrespect. It is the duty of parents, and their right, to educate their children. She is only educating her child. Now if the child thinks that it is disrespectful towards him, it is his headache, not mine or yours," Mr Khera said. 

"Why does the BJP try to make an issue out of everything and try to generate fake sympathy? There is no sympathy on these things anymore. PM Modi can't do 'touch-me-not' politics. He is in politics and he needs to take everything - even a sense of humour of the opposition- properly.  And there is no humour in it, there is 'naseehat' (advice) in this."

'Pained'

Addressing women during an event earlier this month, PM Modi had spoken about the expletives used against his mother by party supporters during an INDIA bloc rally and said the opposition had insulted every mother and sister.

"In Bihar, expletives were used for my mother from an RJD-Congress stage. These expletives have insulted not just my mother, but every mother and sister in India. I know you are as pained as I am after you heard this... My mother, who had nothing to do with politics, was subjected to vile abuses from the RJD-Congress platform. This is deeply saddening, painful, and distressing," he had said.

Recalling the role played by his mother in his life, the Prime Minister had added, "My mother would be sick, but she kept working. She would save up every penny to get clothes made for us. There are crores of such mothers in our country. The place of a mother is higher than that of gods and goddesses."