Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP and spokesperson Manoj Jha on Sunday took a swipe at the BJP over Prime Minister Modi’s remarks about tackling the menace of fake news, saying the “BJP will collapse like a pack of cards if fake news is reined in”.
“It is strange that PM has spoken about fake news. The entire BJP is based on fake news. If fake news is reined in, BJP will collapse like a pack of cards. What is the PM talking about now?” he said.
“If you (PM Modi) wanted, all the destruction that has been caused in India, would have not happened,” the senior leader added.
In an exclusive interview to PTI, PM Modi said that spread of ‘deep fakes’ can cause chaos and loss of credibility of news sources. “Fake news and deep fakes can be used to fuel social unrest. It is of concern to every group, every nation, and every family,” PM Modi said.
Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) chief national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar also reacted to PM Modi’s remarks and said, “I agree with his statement on fake news. But it looks like he is not familiar with the ground reality as his Cabinet is responsible for most of the fake news.”
“If he is worried about fake news, he should sack his entire cabinet,” she added.
Meanwhile, AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh also hit out at PM Modi saying that the prices of fuel and medicines have gone up considerably under his regime.
The remarks by the AAP, a constituent of the opposition INDIA alliance, came after PM Modi, in an interview with PTI, said, “For a long time, India was perceived as a nation of over one billion hungry stomachs. But now, India is being seen as a nation of over one billion aspirational minds, more than two billion skilled hands, and hundreds of millions of young people.”
“Under PM Modi, unemployment became the highest in 42 years. Prices of petrol and diesel increased while the cost of medicines for kidney ailments, cancer and tuberculosis also increased considerably,” Singh said.
Under him, the Agniveer scheme (for recruitment in the armed forces) was introduced and youngsters were betrayed. It was said that the prices of crops would be doubled. What happened? It was promised that black money would be brought back and every account would have Rs 15 lakh. No idea what happened to that. It was also said that everyone would be given a pucca house by August 15, 2022, but nothing happened,” he added.
The AAP leader further alleged, “Modiji has only one slogan: Lie, make false promises, take votes from the people of this country and rule over them.”