People must punish those who bad-mouthed PM Modi's mother: Amit Shah

Home Minister Amit Shah, during an interview with Network 18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, said that people who bad-mouthed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's late mother will be punished by the public in the elections.

He said that the kind of language that is being used in politics by the Opposition is weakening the roots of the democratic system and that punishment should be served to such people.

His comments came days after a controversial AI-generated video mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother, Hiraben Modi, surfaced on social media.

The video, which carried the Hindi caption “‘Ma’ appears in Sahab’s dreams. Watch the interesting dialogue,” showed a Modi lookalike preparing for bed, remarking, “I’m done with today’s ‘vote chori,’ let’s get a good night’s sleep now.”

In the dream sequence, a character resembling the Prime Minister's mother scolds him for misusing her name in politics, asking, “How far are you willing to fall when it comes to politics?”

The clip had triggered sharp reactions from the BJP, which accused Congress of dragging Modi’s mother into political attacks. The party’s official X handle wrote, “The first Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi’s late mother was abused from the Congress-RJD platform. Now, a video of their mother is being made to insult her. Have some shame, Congress people, how much lower will you stoop?”

During the interview with Network 18, Shah also spoke about PM Modi's efforts in driving India during the COVID-19 times and how, despite being mocked for several exercises planned by the Prime Minister in those times, India now gets heaps of praise from around the world.

He also spoke about Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi as Prime Ministers of India and said that they have all made different contributions but PM Modi is the only one who was able to fully implement the "Gareebi hatao" slogan in the true sense. He also said that PM Modi's contribution to strengthening the nation's security and economy is in itself a major achievement.

Earlier, Home Minister Amit Shah launched Network18's coffee table book 'Modi At 75' that brings together 75 defining moments from the Prime Minister’s remarkable journey.