Zero Hour issues: stock market volatility, deep fakes via AI, ED cases

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Parshottam Rupala speaks in the Lok Sabha during the Budget Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Demands for an enquiry into volatility in the stock markets, concerns over deep fakes due to Artificial Intelligence (AI), and accusations that central enforcement agencies are protecting leaders of the ruling BJP were among the issues raised by MPs in the Lok Sabha during Zero Hour on Thursday (March 27, 2025).

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Former Union Minister and BJP MP Parshottam Rupala demanded that the government initiate an inquiry into the recent market volatility to help protect middle-class and elderly investors. “Wars are not just fought on the borders of countries but also via economic sabotage. In order to restore the confidence of investors and to ensure that we are not a victim of such sabotage, an enquiry needs to be done by the government of India,” he said.

Film actress and BJP MP Hema Malini also spoke during Zero Hour, complaining about the deep fakes made using Artificial Intelligence (AI) which, she said, have been used to victimise many celebrities, leading to their mental anguish and reputational damage. “Many of us have become victims of these fake videos which become viral and have a tremendous impact on mental health of those targeted,” she said.

‘ED ignoring conspiracy’

Congress MP K. Suresh accused the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of shielding BJP leaders by “not properly investigating” the Kodakara money laundering case in Kerala. He described the case as not just a highway robbery, but a ₹3.5-crore black money scandal “directly linked” to the BJP “election machinery”.

“The ED has reduced the case to a minor black money transaction conveniently ignoring the political connections and the larger conspiracy. This selective investigation exposes the dangerous pattern of the ED acting as a BJP shield while relentlessly targeting Opposition leaders,” Mr. Suresh said.

The case revolves around a highway robbery in Kodakara in Thrissur on April 3, 2021, just three days before the last Kerala Assembly election. Police investigations revealed that ₹3.5 crore, allegedly being transported to Ernakulam to fund the poll campaign, was looted when a gang staged a fake accident near Kodakara to intercept the vehicle.