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
A 156g gold bust of PM Narendra Modi was carved in Saudi Arabia.
Fact
A Surat jeweller carved PM’s gold bust to celebrate BJP’s win in the Gujarat Assembly elections last year.
Several social media users are circulating a video of a purported golden statue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that it was made in Saudi Arabia. After participating in the recently concluded G20 summit at New Delhi, visiting Saudi Arabia crown prince and PM Mohammed bin Salman had stayed back for a state visit on Monday, during which both sides focussed on deepening cooperation in energy, trade, and defence sectors. It is in this context that this image is going viral.
Also Read: Rahul Gandhi Photographed With ISI Agent? Know The Truth Behind Viral Image
Fact Check
Newschecker ran a keyword search for “Narendra Modi statue gold Saudi Arabia”, which did not throw up any news reports.
We then ran a reverse image search of keyframes of the viral video, which led us to this Youtube video, dated January 11, 2023, headlined “156 gm Wax Gold Statue of Narendra Modi”.
A relevant keyword search led us to an ANI News report, dated January 21, 2023, stating, “To commemorate the landslide victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Gujarat assembly elections, a jewellery manufacturing company from Surat city has carved a gold idol of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As the BJP won 156 out of 182 seats, the weight of the idol was kept at 156 gm.”
A further search led us to multiple news reports about the Surat jeweller who carved a bust of Prime Minister Narendra Modi weighing 156g in 18-carat gold.
“The jeweller, Basant Bohra, who hails from Rajasthan and had been settled in Surat for the last 20 years, is the owner of Radhika chains, a product by Veli Beli brand. The bust with 4.5 inch length and 3 inch width, weighs 156g, which according to Bohra, was reference to the 156 seats won by the BJP in the recently-concluded Assembly elections,” read an Indian Express report, dated January 20, 2023. We can see the brand name in the viral video.
Similar reports can be seen here, here and here, which clearly state that the golden statue of PM Narendra Modi was made by a Surat jeweller and not in Saudi Arabia.
According to the reports, although the bust was ready by December (when the Assembly elections were held), it had weighed little more than 156gm, but on learning that the BJP had bagged 156 seats, the artisans made some changes to bring the weight down.
Also Read: Old Video Of Building Collapse Falsely Linked To Morocco Earthquake
Conclusion
A gold bust of PM Narendra Modi claimed to be made in Saudi Arabia was actually found to be carved by a Surat jeweller following BJP’s win in the 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections.
Result: Partly False
Sources
Indian Express report, January 20, 2023
ANI News report, January 21, 2023
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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.
