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
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi says PM Narendra Modi will remain Prime Minister beyond June 4, 2024 and adds that the INDIA bloc will not bag a single seat in Uttar Pradesh.
Fact
Video found to be edited, Gandhi actually says PM Narendra Modi will not be PM after June 4, while stating that the INDIA bloc will win at least 50 seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Several social media users are circulating a 56-second video of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressing a rally ahead of the fifth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections on May 20, where he purportedly says that on June 4, 2024, when the election results are announced, PM Narendra Modi will remain the Prime Minister of India. Along with giving a “written guarantee” that Modi will be India’s PM, Gandhi allegedly goes on to say the opposition INDIA bloc will not win even a single state in Uttar Pradesh.
We also received this video on our Whatsapp tipline (9999499044), too, requesting us to fact-check it.
Fact Check
Newschecker ran a reverse image search of keyframes of the video, which led us to this Zee News report, dated May 10, 2024, stating, “Before the fourth phase of voting in the Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav held a joint rally. During this, both of them addressed public meetings in Kannauj and Kanpur.”
We can see the viral clip was made by combining the excerpts from 01:56-01:59, 02:09-02:51 and 03:30-03:48, while mischievously editing out words and phrases from the speech. In the original speech, Gandhi is clearly heard stating that PM Narendra Modi will not be the Prime Minister of India beyond June 4, 2024, while also saying that the INDI alliance will win at least 50 (of the 80 seats) in Uttar Pradesh.
A further search led us to the speech on Youtube, uploaded by the Congress party on May 10, 2024, headlined, “Rahul Gandhi addresses the public in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh”.
The viral excerpts can be seen from the 45:52 mark, clearly confirming that the viral video was edited. We also came across multiple news reports on the speech, seen here and here.
Also Read: Viral Post Falsely Claims PM Modi ‘Served Food’ From Empty Bucket For Photo-Op
Conclusion
Edited video of Rahul Gandhi giving a “written guarantee” that PM Narendra Modi will win the ongoing general elections has gone viral.
Result: Altered Media
Source
Youtube video, Indian National Congress, May 10, 2024
Times of India report, May 10, 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.
