MUMBAI – Nationalist Congress Party state president Sunil Tatkare on February 18 released a strongly worded letter condemning the use of AI to fabricate content tarnishing the late Ajit Pawar’s image. Since the untimely death of the party’s national head and ex-Deputy Chief Minister, opportunistic actors have unleashed a barrage of deepfake videos and audios online.
These synthetic media pieces impersonate Pawar’s voice to disseminate disinformation, purely for political gain. Tatkare implored citizens to dismiss such propaganda outright, warning that continued propagation will invite cyber law enforcements and rigorous judicial proceedings from the NCP.
Pointedly, though unnamed, the advisory targets Rohit Pawar’s relentless press tours across cities, where he employs massive displays of AI-generated clips to dissect the accident that felled Ajit Pawar. Queries on mishandlings and gaps in response have dominated these events, prompting NCP’s riposte.
The letter articulates the outrage: deploying artificial intelligence to voice lies through a departed statesman’s mouth is an abomination. Ajit Pawar embodied Maharashtra’s aspirations; defiling his memory post-mortem strikes at the heart of ethical politics and communal welfare.
NCP’s call to arms includes a blanket directive to cease all such activities forthwith. This isn’t merely a party matter—it’s a clarion call against the dark side of tech in democracy. As Maharashtra navigates grief and governance, protecting legacies from digital forgery becomes paramount. Legal eagles predict swift cases if defiance persists, potentially setting precedents in AI regulation.