Fact Check: Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai slams BJP’s ‘Hindutva politics’? No, video is AI-manipulated

Hyderabad: A video of Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, who currently serves as Deputy Chief of Army Staff, has been circulating on social media. Those sharing the video claim that he expressed deep concern over the influence of ‘saffron politics and religious polarisation’, alleging these forces are corroding the core values of the Indian Army.

In the video, Ghai could be allegedly heard saying, “As a senior officer who has devoted decades to the service of this uniform, I say this with deep concern. The growing influence of saffron politics is corroding the core values of the Indian army. Our strength has always been rooted in discipline, unity and constitutional duty, not in religious polarisation. When ideology starts dictating loyalty, it fractures morale, fuels internal distrust and weakens combat effectiveness. If this trend continues, we will not be defeated by an external enemy, but by the political poison spreading within our own ranks.”

Sharing the video, an X user wrote, “Breaking News: Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai (Retd) slams #BJP & #NarendraModi’s politics, warns that any saffronization or politicisation of the Indian Armed Forces will destroy morale. We will resist all attempts to make the Indian Army subservient to Hindutva. (sic)” (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as the video has been manipulated using AI.

Since the viral video carried the logo of Republic TV, we conducted a keyword search and found Lieutenant General Ghai’s original speech livestreamed on the media network’s YouTube channel on October 18.

Speaking at Republic’s Forces First Conclave, Ghai stated that India is fully prepared for any future conflict, citing Operation Sindoor as a turning point that demonstrated India’s ability to employ precision and multi-domain power while controlling escalation. He emphasised the importance of joint theatre commands, technology-driven warfare and countering misinformation. Ghai also dismissed Pakistan’s “no-war” stance as a bluff, asserting that India’s new doctrine combines resolve, proportionality and strategic sovereignty.

However, we found no instance of him discussing saffron politics or religious polarisation during the speech.

Anomalies in the viral video

We listened to the viral and the original speech and found that while General Ghai’s voice was somewhat similar, the tone, pace and pauses in the delivery were distinctly different and odd and did not match the natural way of speaking and enunciation.