Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 20 : On the festival of Dussehra, Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav addressed reporters in Lucknow, emphasising the festival's symbolic message of fighting evil and calling for a pledge to eradicate societal ills starting in Uttar Pradesh.
Aligning socialist principles with traditional values, Yadav claimed that "socialism is, in essence, 'Ram Rajya,' and 'Ram Rajya' is socialism," framing true adherents of this philosophy as authentic "Sanatanis" while labelling political opponents who commit wrongdoings as "fake" Sanatanis.
Yadav voiced sharp criticism against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for allegedly releasing an AI-generated video portraying him as Ravana, accusing the ruling party of misusing artificial intelligence technology for political slander rather than societal progress. 
 "Best wishes to you all on the occasion of Dussehra. In India, this festival reminds us that we must always continue to fight against evil... Let us take a pledge today to eradicate evil from this land forever, starting right here in Uttar Pradesh... Lord Shri Ram once showed us the path toward 'Ram Rajya'. We have often argued that socialism is, in essence, 'Ram Rajya,' and 'Ram Rajya' is socialism. Those who believe in both are true 'Sanatanis'... A true 'Sanatani' brings goodness to this world, while those who perpetrate evil are merely 'fake' Sanatanis. Therefore, we must all remain vigilant. This morning, the BJP released a video of me as Ravana... AI should be used for the greater good, yet the BJP is using it to propagate evil," he said.
The controversy is part of a larger, highly digitised political battle in Uttar Pradesh: The ruling party and affiliated social media accounts have been accused of using synthetic media to target opposition leaders. This includes the recent "Ravana" portrayal and earlier AI-generated clips depicting Akhilesh Yadav in bar-like settings dealing with local mafias to imply corruption.
Yadav had earlier warned that "underground elements" were targeting both him and his wife, MP Dimple Yadav. The Samajwadi Party has launched its own AI campaigns in response. At press conferences, Akhilesh Yadav has screened AI-generated videos targeting Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
One clip purportedly showed Adityanath admitting to administrative failures, while another controversially depicted him smoking a chillum and referred to him as "Ajay Ganjedi," drawing sharp backlash from the BJP. Another showed Lord Ram leaving Ayodhya amid donation scam allegations, both of which drew fierce counterattacks from the BJP, calling them "anti-Sanatan".