New Delhi, January 20: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday issued three fact-checks to refute Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav’s claims about “temple destruction” in Varanasi and counter attempts to “mislead” the public by using AI for political gains.
“In another attempt to mislead the public for political gain, the opposition parties are using fake AI-generated images circulating online to spread false claims about damage to temples and idols in Kashua,” Amit Malviya, head of the BJP’s national information technology department, wrote on X.
“However, the reality on the ground is quite different. This report debunks misinformation, sets the record straight, and shares a list of false claims and the factual circumstances surrounding these claims,” he said.
“False claim 1: The temple was demolished to build the hotel. Fact: The hotel is being built on the site of a hospital that was closed in 2010,” Malviya wrote.
“False claim 2: Temples and idols were damaged. Fact: No damage to temples or idols was found,” the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said.
He further added, “False claim 3: The idol of Ahiyabai has been destroyed. Fact: The artwork of Ahiyabai has been re-established.”
Amid mounting controversy over the alleged destruction of temples and statues during road expansion work in Varanasi’s Dal Mandi area near Manikarnika Ghat, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s strong rebuttal of false claims related to the Varanasi demolition has been overshadowed by Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav’s attack on the Uttar Pradesh government.
“Heritage is strung together like pearls. It cannot be destroyed, it must be cherished,” Yadav wrote in a cryptic social media post in Hindi.
The former prime minister posted a photo that purportedly shows the statue before and after redevelopment work. On one image, he wrote, “Ahirabai statue in rubble.”
Yadav’s remarks came days after he launched a political attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party over the Dharmandi redevelopment project. On Friday, the SP chief accused the ruling party of targeting small traders and residents in the area.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
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