The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab have descended into an ugly deepfake social media war, exchanging blasphemy allegations and personal attacks instead of engaging in substantive debate on the state's real issues.
Personal Attacks and Malicious Content Dominate
Both parties are aggressively sharing social media posts filled with insults, demeaning remarks, and malicious judgments about leaders' character, appearance, and motives. This vitriolic exchange has overshadowed critical discussions on governance and development.
Senior advocate Dilip Batish emphasized that the fundamental right to speech and expression does not extend to injuring the reputation of individuals or public representatives. He noted that the Information Technology (IT) Act remains the foundation for complaints regarding deepfake videos, and sharing such content could attract sections under extraction. "The motive of the person who has shared the video is really important. Often these deepfake AI-generated videos are shared to tarnish the reputation of political opponents in the eyes of people, which is unfortunate and needs to be stopped. Unfortunately, the real issues take a back seat due to the circulation of such videos," Batish said.
Deepfakes as a Political Tool
Political scientists and sociologists view deepfakes as a tool for parties to propagate lies about opponents. Parminder Singh Bhogal, an alumnus of JNU and former professor of political science, stated, "This entire nasty cacophony is deliberately designed to create a false or irrelevant political narrative in the state with a motive to play on ephemeral emotional issues and win elections. The enactment of the blasphemy law by the AAP government is highly questionable. It is against the spirit of the constitution of a secular state. Sukhbir's Akali faction will go to any length to hit back at the rival leader who is the Chief Minister and who also leaves no opportunity to attack and lampoon Sukhbir and his relatives."
Call for Focus on State Issues
Climate activist Samita Kaur urged politicians to concentrate on Punjab's problems. "Politicians should concentrate on the issues related to the state. Let religious matters be taken up by religious heads. Personal attacks is shallowness that has crept into society and people should keep away from such statements," she said.
Rashpal Singh Sosan, spokesperson for the Akali Dal Waris Punjab De—the political wing led by jailed Sikh leader and MP Amritpal Singh—remarked, "Artificial intelligence should not be used for character assassination of a respected personality. The social media war between AAP and Akali Dal has crossed limits and both parties are evading the real issues of Punjab like drugs and crime by attacking each other."
