‘Must Apologise To The Nation’: Rijiju Slams Congress Over Videos Debunked By Army

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday demanded an apology from the Congress after the Indian Army debunked two videos shared by party spokesperson Ritu Choudhary, which falsely claimed Chinese incursions into Indian territory and Chinese control over parts of Arunachal Pradesh.

Choudhary, a Congress spokesperson from Bihar, shared one video claiming to show Chinese vehicles entering Indian territory. Another clip falsely attributed remarks to a senior Army officer, suggesting that China had taken control of areas in Arunachal Pradesh and that Indian troops were being denied essential supplies.

The Army issued separate clarifications, rejecting both claims. The BJP accused the Congress of circulating misleading and manipulated content to discredit the armed forces.

Army Clarifies Videos

In its clarification on the first video, the Army said the footage showed Chinese commercial vehicles at Nathu La Pass in Sikkim, an authorised India-China border trade point. It said the movement of these vehicles was being misrepresented as a military intrusion.

“The movement of commercial vehicles at an authorised border trade route is being misrepresented as evidence of a Chinese military intrusion,” the Army said.

The Army also rejected the claims made in the second video, describing it as a manipulated clip of Lieutenant General Girish Kalia, General Officer Commanding of Spear Corps.

The clip falsely suggested that Kalia had spoken about Chinese control over parts of Arunachal Pradesh and the denial of supplies to Indian troops. The Army said the original footage was from a press briefing in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, on October 27, 2023, concerning infiltration attempts across the Line of Control.

“The original footage was from a press briefing in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, on 27 October, 2023, concerning infiltration attempts across the Line of Control. He made no such statements about Chinese control over Arunachal Pradesh or denial of supplies to the Indian Army,” the Army said in a post.

Rijiju, BJP Target Congress

Rijiju, who represents Arunachal Pradesh in the Lok Sabha, demanded an apology from the Congress, accusing the party of attempting to tarnish the image of the Indian Army.

“Congress Party must apologise to the nation for spreading fake AI video to tarnish the image of Indian Army. This is a treacherous act and is on par with the vile deeds of our enemies. The Congress Party is running a despicable campaign on behalf of India’s enemies,” he said.

BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan also criticised the Congress over the videos, accusing its leaders of sharing manipulated content to malign the armed forces.

“Congress Party leaders disseminating a deepfake video to malign our valiant armed forces once again proves beyond doubt the vile Sena virodhi/anti-Army mindset of the party. The Congress has been a serial offender when it comes to tarnishing the image and demeaning the dignity of our Armed Forces,” Kesavan posted on X.