New Delhi: An image of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi, accompanied by Priyanka’s husband, daughter, and mother-in-law, sitting together at a restaurant has gone viral on social media with sarcastic claims that it shows them in Vietnam after the death of former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
A Facebook post (archived here) was shared by Raghu Nomula, state vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Andhra Pradesh Yuva Morcha, with a Telugu caption roughly translating to, “Antonio’s family expressing deep condolences in Vietnam as part of the mourning days for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.” Archived versions of similar posts shared on X and Facebook can be viewed here, here, here, and here.
The image was shared amid the BJP accusing Rahul Gandhi of visiting Vietnam to “ring in the New Year” shortly after Singh’s death. The BJP and Congress have been embroiled in a political back-and-forth over the last rites of Singh. The Congress criticised the BJP for the location and handling of Singh’s funeral, calling it “disrespectful” that he was cremated at a public crematorium. In response, the BJP questioned Rahul Gandhi for his absence at the leader’s ash immersion ceremony.
However, we found that the viral image predates Singh’s death and was captured at a restaurant in New Delhi.
Here are the facts
Through a reverse image search, we found the same image posted on Rahul Gandhi’s official Instagram account (archived here) on 22 December, 2024. It was captioned, “Family lunch at the iconic Kwality Restaurant. Try the Chole Bhature if you go (sic).” This confirms that the image predates Singh’s death, which occurred four days later.
A report published by PTI News on 22 December, 2024, included the now-viral image. The report stated that the Gandhi family had lunch at Kwality restaurant in Delhi’s Connaught Place on 22 December, adding that Rahul Gandhi shared the image on his Instagram account.
Multiple other news outlets, including India Today, NDTV, and The Times of India, also featured the now-viral picture with similar details, noting that it was captured at a restaurant in New Delhi, not in Vietnam.
We also compared the viral image with photos of Kwality Restaurant available on Google Maps and Rahul Gandhi’s official Instagram post, identifying similarities that confirm the image in question was taken in India, not Vietnam.
Moreover, the former PM passed away on 26 December, 2024, at the age of 92, due to ill health. The Indian government had announced a seven-day mourning period from 26 December, 2024, to 1 January, 2025.
While some news outlets have reported that Rahul Gandhi visited Vietnam around the New Year, the viral image of the Gandhi family sitting at a restaurant predates Singh’s death.
The verdict
The viral image shows Rahul Gandhi and his family at a restaurant in New Delhi, not Vietnam. The image was shared on 22 December, 2024, and predates the death of former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
This story was originally published by Logically Facts as part of the Shakti Collective. Apart from the headline, excerpt and introduction, this story has not been edited by ThePrint staff.