Keralam Minister K.M. Shaji again defends his use of luxury car as official vehicle
Keralam Minister K.M. Shaji has defended his use of a luxury car, claiming that photos of him with the vehicle were manipulated by AI. He maintains that using private vehicles for government work is legal, despite facing moral criticism.
Why it matters
The incident reflects growing concerns over the use of AI in political disinformation and the ethical standards expected of public officials.
Keralam Minister for Local Self-Governments and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader K.M. Shaji has again defended his use of a luxury car, accusing the news media of lapping up a controversy created by the “cyber wing” of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)].
Mr. Shaji told the media on Sunday (September 27, 2026) that a photo of him being widely circulated on social media, which showed him leaning on a luxury car with a State government registration plate, was created by someone using Artificial Intelligence tools. He claimed that the vehicles being used by a Minister need not be government vehicles. The rule only says that it should have a tricolour.
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