Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
A viral video of Odisha BJP MLA Manoranjan Dyan Samantara making a seemingly intimate gesture towards a male colleague during a press interaction has snowballed into a political controversy, with his wife saying that the footage was manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI) to malign his image.
Meena Sahu sought to counter the viral narrative by sharing another video of her husband from the same interaction on X, describing it as the “original” footage.
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She maintained that it showed her husband patiently listening to the minister, accusing those behind the viral clip of distorting the incident.
Taking aim at the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Sahu accused its Chikiti social media team of circulating an AI-generated video to target her husband and appealed to the police to take strict action against those responsible.
“This is the real video of Chikiti MLA in which he is patiently listening to the minister but the BJD Chikiti social media had made AI video and made Chikiti MLA offended in social media. Being the wife of Chikiti MLA, I request the Berhampur SP to take strict action against these goons,” she wrote.
The controversy erupted after footage purportedly showing Samantara leaning towards and embracing a male colleague, appearing to make a biting gesture near his ear, went viral on social media.
The incident reportedly took place on November 13, when Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Minister Gokulananda Mallik was addressing journalists about the impact of a cyclone in three districts and the need for compensation for affected residents.
Samantara was standing behind the minister during the interaction.
The opposition BJD also shared the clip on X, taking a swipe at the BJP amid the flood situation in Ganjam district. “Ganjam has been swept away by the floods… BJP leaders are jumping for joy,” the party said.
Neither Samantara nor the Odisha BJP has issued an official statement on the controversy. The authenticity of the competing videos has not been independently established.
Samantara represents the Chikiti Assembly constituency in Odisha’s Ganjam district. He was elected to the Assembly for the first time in 2024, defeating five-time BJD MLA Usha Devi by 6,522 votes.
Just two days before the controversy erupted, the MLA had donated his one-month salary to the Arnab Relief Fund, set up by the district administration to support flood-hit residents.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
