BENGALURU: The Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has levelled serious allegations against State IT and BT Minister Priyank Kharge, accusing him of deliberately spreading misinformation on social media by using an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated fake image to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The controversy erupted after Kharge shared an image on social media purportedly showing a person being garlanded in front of Tihar Jail. Along with the image, the minister posted a sarcastic caption stating that the “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” scheme had now acquired a “new meaning.” The post was widely perceived as a direct political attack on the Prime Minister and the Union government.
However, the BJP has claimed that the image shared by Kharge was not authentic and was, in fact, created using AI tools. The party alleged that the minister knowingly circulated a manipulated image with the intent of misleading the public and provoking political outrage.
BJP’s sharp attack
In a strongly worded statement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, the Karnataka BJP accused Kharge of abusing his position as a responsible cabinet minister. The party said it was deeply disturbing that an IT and BT Minister, who is expected to understand the implications of emerging technologies like AI, was allegedly using such tools to spread fake news.
The self-proclaimed 'fact-checker' @PriyankKharge is caught spreading fake news!
Despite holding the IT & BT portfolio, he circulated a malicious, AI-generated image to attack PM Shri @narendramodi and mislead the public about a court order.
𝐇𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲… pic.twitter.com/PMDIbmYKff
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) December 26, 2025
“The image shared by Priyank Kharge is not real. It is an AI-generated fake image circulated with malicious intent to mislead people and ridicule constitutional institutions,” the BJP said. It further accused the minister of distorting facts related to judicial processes and creating confusion among citizens.
The BJP clarified that the individual referred to in Kharge’s post was released solely on a court order, not as a result of any government decision. The party noted that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has already challenged the court order, and therefore that characterising the issue as a political or governmental action was misleading.
The BJP also alleged that Kharge’s conduct amounted to a clear violation of the state government’s proposed Hate Speech Prevention Bill. According to the party, using provocative imagery and sarcastic commentary linked to sensitive social issues could inflame communal or emotional sentiments.
The party further stated that mocking a flagship scheme like “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao,” which was introduced to promote the welfare and empowerment of the girl child, amounted to trivialising a serious social cause for political gain. “Turning a programme meant for women’s empowerment into a tool for cheap political satire is shameful,” the BJP said.
Demanding accountability, the BJP has called on Priyank Kharge to issue an unconditional public apology for sharing the fake image. The party also urged the state government and law enforcement agencies to initiate legal action against the minister for allegedly spreading fake news and misleading the public.
“It is unfortunate that a minister who should be upholding truth and responsible communication has become a propagator of fake news,” the BJP added. The party warned that such actions could set a dangerous precedent, especially at a time when misinformation and AI-generated content pose serious challenges to democracy.
