Shiv Sena MLA Kshirsagar calls video that shows him seeking commission AI-dubbed

Kolhapur: A purported video clip showing Shiv Sena MLA and state planning commission deputy chairman Rajesh Kshirsagar allegedly seeking commission in development works from a contractor has triggered a political storm, with the legislator strongly denying the charge and calling the clip “AI-dubbed” and misleading.“The video clip is AI-dubbed to give the wrong impression. The original conversation had nothing to do with any govt contract. Instead, I was trying to help the man with a particular issue. I am going to file a complaint with the cyber police to find out the people who dubbed the fake conversation using AI,” Kshirsagar said, rejecting allegations of corruption.The video, which surfaced on social media and was first circulated by Shiv Sena (UBT) functionary Ravikiran Ingavale. Congress MLC Satej Patil demanded clarity, asking Kshirsagar to explain “what the video clip and the conversation are about.”Sena (UBT) functionary Sunil Modi claimed the clip is authentic, and added that the party possesses detailed information about its origin. Modi also claimed he knew who shot the video and what it was about. “However, since I don’t want to get the one who shot it in trouble, I will not divulge the details,” he said.Even as the controversy deepened, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) announced it will move an adjournment motion in the ongoing monsoon session of the Assembly to press for a discussion on the alleged misconduct by the Sena MLA.

Kshirsagar, however, doubled down on his defence, framing the episode as a deliberate attempt to malign him politically through manipulated technology, while maintaining that the conversation was unrelated to govt contracts and was instead an attempt to assist an individual.Backing him, parliamentary affairs minister Chandrakant Patil termed the viral clip part of a “conspiracy to malign and cause damage” to Kshirsagar.

“The opposition should know that to bring any motion against a person with a cabinet minister rank, which Kshirsagar has, they must get permission from the Speaker of the assembly. Those who are conspiring live in glass houses themselves, and the tide can turn against them in future,” Patil said.The Congress, however, remained unconvinced, accusing Kshirsagar of evasion. “It is the responsibility of any public representative to come clean on allegations of corruption and wrongdoing. Kshirsagar is worried only about how the video clip was circulated, but is shirking the responsibility to answer questions,” said Rajesh Latkar, Congress member in the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation.