Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has condemned the circulation of a deepfake video purporting to show him saying things he “never said”. He claimed that any statement not posted on his social media handles or interviewers/platforms is “fake news”.
Amid the ongoing war between the US and Iran, several manipulated videos have reportedly been leaked on social media in which Tharoor falsely claims to criticize the government and support Pakistan’s foreign policy. However, the congressman did not directly address these claims in his statement about the AI-generated clip. Follow live updates on Iran-US war news
Although Tharoor expressed displeasure at the Center’s lack of leadership in leading peace efforts between Iran and the United States, the leader has never been reported to have supported Pakistan’s foreign policy.
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“There are an alarming number of deepfake videos of me circulating, with real footage from old interviews accompanied by convincing AI-generated audio narration to make ‘me’ say things I have never said,” Tharoor wrote in a post on X.
He expressed frustration at how social media users are being fooled by the allegedly manipulated videos, believing that Congress leaders have made such statements.
“I am disappointed that so many on social media are believing these lies and publishing baseless comments attacking me, purporting to be views that I have not expressed,” Tharoor added.
The Congress member from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala has defined a rule of thumb. “If a statement (video or otherwise) does not appear on my timeline or on the timeline of the alleged interviewer or media person, then it is fake news,” he said.
Last month too, Tharoor criticized an AI-generated video praising Pakistan’s decision to play India in the T20 World Cup.
The video showed an AI clone of Tharoor from a poorer generation with a voice similar to that of the Congress leader. This claim has now been removed across social media.
At the time, Tharoor told X: “It’s ‘fake news’ generated by AI – and it’s not very good either. My language is different, my voice is different.”
What Tharoor said about India during the Iran war
Shashi Tharoor has expressed dissatisfaction with the Modi government’s lack of leadership in India’s peace efforts to end the US-Iran war in the Middle East, saying he is “not satisfied” with Pakistan taking the lead in mediation.
In an interview with news agency ANI about two weeks ago, Tharoor said the current situation was “embarrassing” for India. He said he supported the Modi government’s silence and hoped the Center would use this opportunity to take the lead in peace mediation.
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“At the moment, unfortunately, things don’t look very good. It’s a bit embarrassing for all of us. One of the reasons I supported the government’s restraint and silence on this Iran war is because I wanted the government to use this to create a space for peace talks and be a leading voice for peace, as Prime Minister Modi has often advocated that India should be,” he said.
“We cannot be happy about that,” Tharoor said, noting that Pakistan is currently leading mediation efforts with Turkey and Egypt.
He wished Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey “good luck” in their mediation efforts. “We all want peace,” the Congress leader said.
