Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Rahul Gandhi has apologised for his poll promises of ₹8,500 per month and ₹1,00,000 salary per month for youths.
Fact
No such apology, claims on pre-poll promises found to be highly misleading.
Several social media users are claiming that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has apologised for his poll promises of ₹8,500 per month and a salary of ₹1,00,000 per month for the youths. The users further alleged that the promises were a clear case of electoral fraud as the Congress leader used these “lies” to get 99 seats in the 2024 general elections that saw the BJP return to a third term with a reduced strength earlier this month.
The archived version of the tweet can be seen here.
Fact Check
Newschecker first ran a keyword search for “Rahul Gandhi apologise poll promises”, which did not throw up any credible news reports nor official statements from the Congress leader or the party. We then checked the social media handles (X, Facebook and Instagram) of both the Congress and Rahul Gandhi and did not find any such apology post following the election results on June 4, 2024, further raising our doubts. The analytics tool, Social Blade, too, did not show that any tweet was deleted by the party or Gandhi after June 4, 2024.
Claims On Pre-Poll Promises Are Misleading
Newschecker learnt that in the lead-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress had launched the ‘Ghar Ghar Guarantee’ programme to reach nearly 80 million households with 25 guarantees, including the Mahalakshmi scheme, which promised ₹8,500 per month directly to the accounts of female heads of Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. However, clarifying the Mahalakshmi scheme following the election results, a senior Congress leader told MoneyControl that some Muslim women mistakenly believed they would receive the promised money after the election, when the promise was the party would only give the money only if it came to power. Newscheker had earlier debunked a video that went viral with the false claim that it showed Muslim women waiting in queue to receive the ₹8,500 per month promised under the Congress’ Mahalakshmi scheme.
We also learnt that the party had promised in its manifesto that diploma-holder or college graduate youths will get the opportunity of apprenticeship with a public/private sector company for a year, as part of a “Right to Apprenticeship Act”, for which they will get a stipend of ₹1 lakh (₹8,500 per month). Newschecker found the relevant sections in the Congress manifesto, which confirms the claims to be misleading.
We have reached out to Gaurav Pandhi, AICC coordinator at the office of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, regarding the party’s clarification over the claims and will update this copy once we receive a response.
Also Read: Viral Video Showing PM Modi’s Grand Welcome In Italy Is Actually From Australia
Conclusion
Viral claims stating that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has apologised for his pre-poll promises found to be false.
Result: False
Sources
Social media accounts of Rahul Gandhi and Congress
Congress manifesto for the 2024 general polls
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
