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Fact Check
Wayanad Congress uses a photo of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi while observing the death anniversary (May 21) of his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
We received this video on our Whatsapp tipline (+91-9999499044), too, from multiple users requesting us to fact-check it.
Newschecker first ran a reverse image search, but could not find the source of the viral image. We reached out to Congress activists who informed us that the person in the photo lighting the lamp was Vinod Sen, a resident of Neyyattinkara and the Thiruvananthapuram district Congress committee (DCC) general secretary.
We then reached out to Sen, who said that it was him in the photo.
“This is a photo from Neyyattinkara constituency in Thiruvananthapuram. The people in the photo are SK Ashok Kumar and myself. I am the Thiruvananthapuram DCC general secretary, while SK Ashok Kumar was the (Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee) KPCC secretary at that time. The original photo is not available with me now,” Sen told Newschecker.
“The photo is at least five years old and shows the inauguration of the Onam market organised in Thirupuram panchayat as part of the Onam celebrations organised by the Farmers’ Congress Thirupuram. I am the one lighting the lamp in the photo. After SK Ashok Kumar lit the lamp and inaugurated the Onam market, I also lit the lamp. Mitram Lalu, who was the president of the Thirupuram Farmers’ Congress, is an ardent fan of Rahul Gandhi. He was the one who placed the photo there,” Sen added.
We then checked Vinod Sen’s Facebook profile, and further confirmed that it was him in the photo.
Ashok Kumar is the person standing to Sen’s left, with his side facing the camera. We also looked up his Facebook account, where we confirmed that it was him in the photo.
Also Read: Edited Photos Of Rahul Gandhi With ‘Spy’ Jyoti Malhotra Shared As Real
Sources
Conversation with Vinod Sen, Thiruvananthapuram DCC General Secretary
Facebook Profile of Vinod Sen
Facebook Profile of S K Ashok Kumar
False
