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
DMK is violating the Model Code of Conduct by distributing cash and gifts to voters.
The archived version of the tweet can be seen here.
Fact
Newschecker ran a reverse image search of keyframes of the video, which led us to this Facebook post sharing the viral video, identifying and tagging a DMK union secretary from Vailankanni, Thomas Alva Edison, as the person distributing the gifts.
The video was uploaded on January 3, 2024, well before the Model Code of Conduct for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections came into force on March 16, 2024. Also, in another Facebook post, dated January 2, 2024, sharing the same video, we noticed the hashtag #newyearparty, while the final frame of the video shows the entrance of the building decorated with a “Happy New Year -2024” banner, confirming that it is not related to the elections.
We looked up the DMK’s list of 21 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, where we found that the party was not contesting the Nagapattinam constituency, under which Vailankanni falls, as part of its seat-sharing agreement with ally CPI.
Edison also issued a clarification regarding the viral clip through a video posted on Facebook on April 3, 2024, stating that the claims of him distributing money were completely false. “The video shows me distributing sweets and calendars to the people and party members who come to meet me on every New Year’s day…the video is giving wrong information to the election commission. The claims are politically motivated..I have filed a complaint with the police,” says Edison.
Also Read: Fake BBC Report On Kriti Sanon Endorsing Trading Platform Goes Viral
Result: False
Sources
Facebook post, January 3, 2024
Facebook post, January 2, 2024
Facebook reel, Thomas Alva Edison, April 3, 2024
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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.
