Eknath Shinde slams Sena (UBT) for recreating Bal Thackeray's voice through AI, calls it demeaning
Mumbai, Apr 17 (PTI): Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday said the Shiv Sena (UBT) demeaned Sena patriarch late Bal Thackeray by using AI technology to recreate his voice.
Nobody will stay with the Shiv Sena (UBT) because Uddhav Thackeray has "betrayed" his father's ideals, Shinde told reporters.
"We freed the Shiv Sena from the clutches of the Congress. They (Uddhav Thackeray and his party) were not only dislodged from power, but also from the minds of people. If they have any shame left, they should not resort to such childish acts and demean Balasaheb. Do not behave in a way that will hurt Balasaheb," he added.
Shinde rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray's leadership in 2022 and split the party.
Responding to his barbs, Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said those who formed a "fake Shiv Sena" using the Sena founder's name should not comment on the issue.
Artificial Intelligence technology was used to create Bal Thackeray's voice at a party event last month too, and there was nothing new in it, he added.
A 13-minute speech in a voice resembling that of Bal Thackeray was played at a Sena (UBT) gathering in Nashik in north Maharashtra on Wednesday. It had the late party founder's trademark lines too.
State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, in a post on X on Wednesday, called it a childish stunt.
धिक्कार...!
— Chandrashekhar Bawankule (@cbawankule) April 16, 2025
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IMF approves USD 206 million emergency funding for cyclone-hit Sri Lanka's recovery
Colombo (PTI): The IMF has approved an emergency funding of USD 206 million under its rapid finance instrument to help Sri Lanka “address the urgent needs arising from the catastrophic Cyclone Ditwah and preserve macroeconomic stability”.
The cyclone caused widespread destruction in the island nation and left over 643 people dead.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Washington-based International Monetary Fund (IMF) said the disaster has created urgent humanitarian and reconstruction needs, generating significant fiscal pressures and balance-of-payments needs.
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The emergency financial support provided by the IMF under the rapid finance instrument will help address these pressures, it said.
The IMF added that the cyclone devastation hit when the Fifth Review of Sri Lanka’s USD 2.9 billion bailout was nearing completion.
“Given the time needed to assess the economic impact of the cyclone and examine how an IMF-supported programme can best support Sri Lanka’s recovery and reconstruction efforts while preserving objectives and policy priorities, the Fifth Review has been deferred," it said.
"An IMF mission team will visit Sri Lanka in early 2026 to resume discussions,” it added.
The 48-month extended fund facility deal with the IMF in March 2023 carried hard reforms to Sri Lanka's welfare-based governance.
It was signed after Sri Lanka plunged into an unprecedented economic meltdown with its first-ever sovereign default.
Several hours before the IMF decision, the parliament here approved without a vote a supplementary estimate of LKR 500 billion, which the government said was required to restore the livelihoods of those affected by the disaster.
