The political battle over alleged paid content targeting AI Summit intensified with the Indian National Congress claiming that several influencers deleted their posts after legal warnings, even though the Bharatiya Janata Party supported the charges.
The Junior Chamber of India has issued formal legal notices to individuals, influencers and digital platforms asking them to remove allegedly “defamatory and fabricated content” within 24 hours or face civil and criminal action.
The notice, issued by the legal affairs department headed by Roopesh S. Bhaduria, alleges a “malicious and politically motivated propaganda campaign” aimed at defaming the organization. It warned that if the content was not removed, lawsuits could be filed for defamation, damages, and injunctions.
Immediately after the warning, Congressional leaders claimed that several social media users deleted videos who claimed to have been paid to criticize the summit. The controversy began when several digital creators shared videos and screenshots claiming to have received messages offering rewards ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1.5 million for posting content critical of AI Summit. Some claimed the messages included suggestions for scripts that portrayed the incident in a negative light. These claims have not been independently verified.
Social media users who made such claims included digital creator Vinayak Dev Trivedi, who shared a screenshot of a conversation purporting to offer rewards of up to Rs 25,000 for videos criticizing the summit. Accounts like Preeti Bhati, Charmingchaoss, @chhotatoofan and @unfilteredakshar also posted similar claims. Additional names have also surfaced in the online compilation, with some claiming higher payouts based on their follower reach. NDTV has not independently verified these claims.
Congressional leaders have denied the allegations, saying the claims are fabricated and part of a coordinated misinformation campaign. Supriya Srinath, head of the party’s social media and digital platforms, said the screenshots being circulated lacked basic details such as names and verified contact information and were a “fake narrative” meant to mislead.
Ruchira Chaturvedi, another Congress leader, said the alleged influencer’s campaign had “collapsed” after being threatened with legal action, and questioned why the people who made the claims had deleted their posts.
However, the Bharatiya Janata Party maintained that the claim had credibility. Party spokesperson Samvit Patra said several social media users had publicly shared messages and reels claiming to have been offered money to criticize the summit.
Shehzad Poonawalla also accused the Congress of orchestrating a campaign to defame global events, alleging that influencers were paid to create negative content.
With both sides trading charges and Congress moving toward legal action, the controversy extends beyond social media and highlights the growing role of influencers and unverified claims in shaping political narratives online.
