Shashi Tharoor said he was disappointed that many users on social media fell for the AI-generated videos, thinking he made such comments.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has decried the circulation of fake videos showing him saying things he “never said”. He stressed that any statement not posted on his social media account or the interviewer/platform is “fake news.”
Several manipulated videos allegedly surfaced on social media, falsely claiming that Tharoor criticized the government and supported Pakistani foreign policy amid the ongoing war between the US and Iran. However, the congressman did not directly reference these claims in his statement about the AI-generated clips. Follow live updates of news about the war between Iran and the United States
While Tharoor expressed his dismay at the Centre’s lack of initiative in leading the Iran-US peace process, the leader has not been reported to support Pakistani foreign policy at all.
Read also | ‘The world is suffering’: Shashi Tharoor calls on the Center to ‘take the lead’ in demanding an end to the conflict in West Asia
In a post to
He expressed dismay at the extent to which users on social media were falling for the trap of allegedly doctored videos, believing that the Congress leader had made such statements.
“I am disappointed that many on social media believe these lies and are making baseless comments attacking me for alleged views I have not expressed,” Tharoor added.
The Congressman from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala outlined a general rule. “If a statement (video or otherwise) does not appear in my timeline nor in the statement of the alleged interviewer/media source, then it is fake news,” he said.
Also last month, Tharoor condemned an AI-generated video, in which he was heard praising Pakistan’s decision to play against India in the T20 World Cup.
The video showed a generation poor AI clone of Tharoor, with a voice resembling that of the Congress leader. This claim has now been removed on social media.
At that time too, Tharoor took to X and said: “AI-generated fake news – and not even very good. Not my language, not my voice.”
What did Tharoor say about India amid the Iran war?
Shashi Tharoor had expressed his dissatisfaction with the Modi government for not taking the lead in India’s peace efforts to end the US-Iran war in the Middle East, saying that he “cannot be happy” with Pakistan leading the mediation.
About two weeks ago, Tharoor, while speaking to news agency ANI, had said that the current situation was “embarrassing” for India. He said he supported the Modi government’s silence and expressed hope that the Center would seize the opportunity to take the initiative in brokering peace.
Read also | India welcomes the ceasefire in West Asia and hopes that it will strengthen peace efforts in Ukraine
“Right now, I’m sorry to say, things are not looking 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 was hoping the government would use this to create space for peacemaking and be a leading voice for peace, as Prime Minister Modi has often said India should be,” he said.
Noting that Pakistan is now leading mediation efforts with Türkiye and Egypt, Tharoor said: “I cannot be happy about that.”
He wished “good luck” to Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey in their mediation efforts. “We all want peace,” the Congress leader said.
Asmita Ravi Shankar is a senior content producer at Hindustan Times, based in New Delhi. It covers breaking news and focuses on crime, geopolitics and the local political scene. She has a keen eye for the complexities of criminal investigations and a keen interest in how diplomacy and complexities impact politics, both within India and globally. She has written extensively on Operation Sindoor, the Iran-US conflict, elections in India, Trump’s tariffs and diplomacy. Asmita is also involved in multimedia storytelling, using interactive elements to enhance the news experience for readers and build a high-traffic news ecosystem. With nearly three years of experience in journalism, Asmita has been with HT for just over a year. She previously worked with the online news teams at Outlook India and Network18, where she covered a wide range of beats and built her niche. At HT, she was recognized for her comprehensive reporting and contribution to the coverage of the Bihar Assembly election results, where she alone managed to attract over 2 million users that day. Asmita holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, University of Delhi. She obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, which enhanced her skills in multimedia storytelling, editing, and sourcing to enrich her reporting. Additionally, Asmita has a degree in Bharatanatyam from Prachin Kala Kendra. She is also a teacher of Indian classical dance. When Asmita is not working in news, she can be found dancing, watching true crime docuseries, cooking and exploring different genres of music.Read more
