Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Jun 22: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday took a jibe at the Opposition ahead of the Monsoon Session of the state legislature, alleging that a memorandum submitted by Opposition parties appeared to have been prepared using artificial intelligence platform ChatGPT.

Addressing a press conference ahead of the three-week-long session, Fadnavis criticised the Opposition for boycotting the traditional high-tea meeting held before the session and submitting a six-page memorandum instead.

“Even today, the Opposition has boycotted the traditional high-tea. If they had come for discussions, several issues could have been discussed and there would have been an exchange of ideas,” Fadnavis said.

Taking a swipe at the memorandum, the Chief Minister claimed that some parts of the document appeared similar to previous submissions and suggested that AI had been used in preparing it.

“When I saw this letter, I had a slight suspicion, so I checked. Then I realised that this letter was also prepared using ChatGPT. It seems they have run out of topics, creativity and even basic understanding of issues, so they are using AI,” he said.

However, Fadnavis added in a lighter tone that it was positive that the Opposition was adopting technology. “Since the coming era belongs to AI, it is commendable that the Opposition has started using it. I congratulate them,” he said.

The remarks came ahead of what is expected to be a heated Monsoon Session, with Opposition parties likely to raise issues related to farmers, governance and welfare schemes.

Fadnavis alleged that the Opposition continued to raise issues that had already been discussed and addressed by the government, adding that several portions of the latest memorandum were similar to earlier ones.

The Chief Minister also spoke about the state’s farm loan waiver programme, stating that loan waivers were not political measures but intended to help farmers regain access to institutional credit. He said around 56 lakh farmers would benefit from the ?36,585 crore package, describing it as the largest such initiative in Maharashtra.

Addressing concerns over delayed monsoon and possible El Nino conditions, Fadnavis said the state was facing a difficult situation due to below-average rainfall in several regions.

He said rainfall deficiency in Vidarbha stood at around 80 per cent, while central Maharashtra and Konkan recorded deficits of nearly 83 per cent and 86 per cent respectively.

The Chief Minister urged farmers to follow official advisories and begin sowing only after receiving sufficient rainfall. He added that the government was closely monitoring water storage levels and had imposed restrictions on certain agricultural water usage to protect drinking water supplies if the monsoon delay continues.

The Maharashtra Legislature’s Monsoon Session is scheduled to begin on June 22.