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
TMC MPs Mahua Moitra And Saayoni Ghosh fall asleep during a Parliament session.
Fact
The MPs did not doze off, a screenshot was taken at a specific moment that made them look like they were asleep.
Several social media users are circulating a video, claiming it shows Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs, Mahua Moitra and Saayoni Ghosh, dozing off during the inaugural session of the 18th Lok Sabha.
The archived version of the tweet can be seen here.
Fact Check
Newschecker ran a reverse image search of keyframes of the video, which led us to this Youtube video on Parliamentary channel Sansad TV, dated June 26, 2024, headlined, “Arvind Ganpat Sawant congratulates Om Birla on being re-elected as Lok Sabha Speaker.” Arvind Sawant is the Mumbai South MP and belongs to the Shiv Shena (UBT).
The viral screengrab can be seen at the 01:57 mark of the video. You can clearly see that the TMC MPs were not sleeping at any point during Sawant’s speech and that the screengrab was taken at a moment when the two MPs had lowered their eyes, giving the impression that they had fallen asleep.
We also came across this Anandabazar Patrika report, dated June 28, 2024, where TMC leader Kunal Ghosh rubbishes the viral claims and criticises the BJP for its “distorted” mentality.
Also Read: Viral Video Claiming To Show Delhi Floods Is Actually OId Footage From Bengaluru
Conclusion
A misleading screenshot falsely claimed to show TMC MPs sleeping during the inaugural session of the Parliament goes viral.
Result: False
Sources
Video by Sansad TV, dated June 26, 2024
Report by Anandabazar.com
If you would like us to fact-check a claim, give feedback or lodge a complaint, WhatsApp us at 9999499044 or email us at checkthis@newschecker.in. You can also visit the Contact Us page and fill out the form. Follow our WhatsApp channel for more updates.
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.
