Previously, videos featuring speeches by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have frequently been manipulated and shared, often devoid of accurate context. As the 2024 Lok Sabha elections approach, another video of Gandhi is gaining traction on social media platforms.
In this video, Rahul is heard giving credit to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for uniting people and agreeing that Congress divides people in the name of religion and caste. Social media users are sharing this video, claiming that this is the reality of Congress and Rahul Gandhi has exposed his own party.
In the video, Rahul Gandhi seemingly says, “On the one hand, BJP people are trying to bring everyone together and on the other hand, Congress party is dividing one religion from another and one caste from another.”
Fact Check
A relevant keyword search led us to a video uploaded on the official YouTube channel of the Indian National Congress on 2 March, 2024. The video is of the speech Rahul Gandhi gave while addressing a crowd in Morena, Madhya Pradesh, during the flag handover ceremony of his Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra.
In this video, at the 19 minutes and 45 seconds mark, we see the clip that has now gone viral.
In this clip, he says, “There is a fight between two ideologies in the country. The fight that is going on between hatred and love. The battle that is taking place between non-violence and violence is clearly visible. On one hand, BJP people are dividing one religion from another. Dividing one caste from another. Dividing one state from another state. On the other hand, the Congress party is trying to bring everyone together.”
After watching the above video, we got the clarity that the viral video was edited and shared. The original video has been edited to make it appear as if Rahul Gandhi is praising the BJP party and criticizing his own. Below you can see the comparison between the viral and edited video.
Conclusion
Fact Crescendo found that the original video was clipped and edited. In the real video, Rahul criticizes the BJP for dividing people in the name of religion and caste and not the Congress.
This story was originally published by Fact Crescendo, as part of the Shakti Collective. Except for the headline, excerpt and introduction, this story has not been edited by ThePrint staff.
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