New Delhi: The official Twitter handles of several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s ministers and state units, leaders of the Congress, and the Goa Forward Party shared the image of a US combat ship while posting Indian Navy Day greetings Saturday.
India celebrates Navy Day on 4 December every year to recognise the achievements of the Indian Navy.
The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP tweeted: “Greetings on Indian Navy Day. A Grand Salute to The Guardians of the Sea.” However, the picture accompanying this text was that of a US Navy ship.
Greetings on Indian Navy Day
A Grand Salute to The Guardians of the Sea. pic.twitter.com/C4n43HuNfL— BJP Jammu & Kashmir (@BJP4JnK) December 4, 2021
The Maharashtra unit of the BJP also tweeted the same picture with the caption: “Three salutes to the incomparable bravery of the soldiers on the occasion of Indian Naval Day!”
भारतीय नौदल दिनानिमित्त जवानांच्या अतुलनीय शौर्याला त्रिवार सलाम !!#IndianNavyDay #NavyDay pic.twitter.com/xefca9GqyX
— भाजपा महाराष्ट्र (@BJP4Maharashtra) December 4, 2021
BJP MLA from Madhya Pradesh Gaurishankar Bisen, Gujarat Minister of State for Agriculture, Energy and Petrochemicals Mukesh Patel and Congress MLA from Madhya Pradesh and former cabinet minister P.C. Sharma were some of the others who made the same mistake.
निष्ठा और संकल्प के साथ निरंतर देश सेवा में जुटे नौसेना के वीर, साहसी और जांबाज जवानों को भारतीय नौसेना दिवस की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं ?#IndianNavyDay #NavyDay #NavyDay2021 #भारतीयनौसेनादिवस pic.twitter.com/wdEzvkTlEp
— Gaurishankar Bisen (@GauriShankarMP) December 4, 2021
Salute to Navy's bravery and patriotism on Indian Navy Day #NavyDay @indiannavy pic.twitter.com/Xp9P2zEjU4
— Mukesh Patel (@mukeshpatelmla) December 4, 2021
देश की समुद्री सीमाओं की रक्षा करने वाले और देश की सीमा से दूर हमारे सामरिक हितों को मजबूती देने वाले भारतीय नौसेना के शूरवीरों को भारतीय #नौसेना_दिवस पर कोटिशः नमन एवं समस्त देशवासियों को नौ सेना दिवस की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ… #NavyDay #NavyDay2021 @indiannavy #Pcsharmainc pic.twitter.com/ZLTPjC2ZPz
— P. C. Sharma (@pcsharmainc) December 4, 2021
Congress national social media coordinator Maanmohan Singh Pahujaa also tweeted the same photo with the caption: “Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, famously wrote, “to be secure on land we must be supreme at sea.” On this #NavyDay I salute the brave men who have been protecting our Sea & Land. Jai Hind!”
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, famously wrote, “to be secure on land we must be supreme at sea."
On this #NavyDay I salute the brave men who have been protecting our Sea & Land.
Jai Hind! pic.twitter.com/MOUDPpnZMb
— Maanmohan Singh Pahujaa (@msgpahujaa) December 4, 2021
The Goa Forward Party also posted the same picture.
#IndianNavyDay #NavyDay #चल_या_फुडें #chalyafuddem pic.twitter.com/SbzkUkmSKW
— Goa Forward (@Goaforwardparty) December 4, 2021
Fact check
The photo all these handles shared was that of a Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship, which was commissioned in the US Navy in January 2019.
This isn’t the first time Indian politicians and political parties have erroneously shared an image of this US ship on Navy Day.
On 4 December 2019, the Congress came under fire after the party’s official handle tweeted the picture of the same ship in a congratulatory tweet about Navy Day.
After some Twitter users circulated the hashtag #ShameOnCongress, the party subsequently deleted the tweet.
Congress actually need to replace its c-grade IT cell.#ShameOnCongress pic.twitter.com/gjMKrDgNpi
— Avinash Srivastava ?? (@go4avinash) December 4, 2019
It was found that the BJP had also tweeted the same picture two years ago on the same occasion.
Greetings on Indian Navy Day. Let’s wear Armed Forces flag with honour and pride. Contribute generously to the ‘#ArmedForcesFlagDay Fund’ to assure our soldiers that the entire nation cares for them & their families. https://t.co/sFwfNCgrcA pic.twitter.com/PHtqYm9QZU
— BJP (@BJP4India) December 4, 2017
In collaboration with SM Hoax Slayer.
Also read: Viral photo of Jewar airport is fake, image is of South Korea’s Incheon airport