New Delhi: A short 6-second clip of outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind’s farewell event is being circulated on social media platforms, including microblogging site Twitter. The video shows PM Narendra Modi allegedly disrespecting President Kovind by not acknowledging his greeting and instead being fixated on the cameras.
Several Twitteratis and leaders from the opposition ranks, including Sanjay Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party of Y. Satish Reddy of Telangana Rashtra Samithi, posted the clip alleging that Modi did not greet the outgoing president.
Ironically, the President in his parting message advised the MPs to rise above partisan politics in national interest and to work for the people’s welfare. Apart from PM Modi, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla were also present at the farewell ceremony.
‘Such an insult, very sorry Sir. These people are like this, your term is over, now they will not even look at you,’ AAP’s Sanjay Singh tweeted.
ऐसा अपमान Very Sorry Sir
ये लोग ऐसे ही हैं, आपका कार्यकाल ख़त्म अब आपकी तरफ़ देखेंगे भी नही। pic.twitter.com/xaGIOkuyDM
— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) July 24, 2022
Another AAP spokesperson Sarvesh Mishra shared the same video, accusing Modi of disrespecting other senior BJP leaders, including Lal Krishna Advani.
Activist Piyush Manush shared the video on Facebook and wrote: Pose for the camera !! Only pose for the camera !! Nothing but the camera !! ( A word play on PM Modi’s ‘Jhuth bolo’ jibe against opposition parties)
Further, TRS social media convener Y. Satish Reddy also tweeted the clip, with the caption: ‘When ‘Photograph’ is more important than the outgoing ‘President’’
When ‘Photograph’ is more important than the outgoing ‘President’ 📸 @KTRTRS pic.twitter.com/27wQrhe2Gj
— YSR (@ysathishreddy) July 23, 2022
Virendra Chaudhary, a Congress MLA from Uttar Pradesh, shared the video tagging PM Modi as ‘Camerajeevi.’ (another word-play on Modi’s coined term ‘Andolanjeevi’)
The president of Congress’ student wing National Student Union of India also shared the clip which was later retweeted by NSUI’s official handle. “Modi ji can ignore anyone for the camera,” read the tweet by Neeraj Kundan.
मोदी जी कैमरे के लिए किसी को भी नजरअंदाज कर सकते है। pic.twitter.com/GpcXY6zTtF
— Neeraj Kundan (@Neerajkundan) July 24, 2022
Fact Check
Though the clip is not doctored, the 6-second video has been trimmed and taken out of context.
In the full-length video aired by Sansad TV, PM Modi can be seen greeting Kovind with folded-hands, prior to him turning to face the camera inside the central hall of Parliament on 23 July. The portion can be seen after 36 minutes into the clip. Similarly, the official Twitter handle of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, too, has a photograph of Kovind and Modi greeting each other.
Some Twitter users were also quick to point out that the clip was taken out of context. One of them told Sanjay Singh, the AAP Rajya Sabha MP, to show the clip in full. NSUI national president Neeraj Kundan, too, was advised by another Twitter user to not show the clip partially for interpreting the news wrongly.
नीरज जी, आधी क्लिप दिखाकर किसी भी न्यूज़ को गलत तरीके से इंटरप्रेट करना सही नहीं है….
पूरी वीडियो को सही से देखने पर स्पष्ट पता चलता है कि वीडियो किसी खास एंगल से लिया गया है…….👇👇👇https://t.co/dhc9D4gywc
— Ajay Kumar (@Ajay777910) July 24, 2022
(In collaboration with SM HoaxSlayer)
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