On March 2, 2024, as part of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Rahul Gandhi addressed a gathering in Madhya Pradesh. The yatra — which commenced in Manipur on January 14, 2024, and is slated to conclude in Mumbai on March 20, 2024 — aims to connect with people nationwide.
Amid this, a video clip featuring Gandhi gained significant traction on social media. In the video, spoken in Hindi, Gandhi contrasts the approaches of the BJP and Congress. He asserts that while BJP strives to unite the nation, Congress is accused of perpetuating divisions based on caste and religion.
The video is shared on Facebook with a caption: “मैं कहा था ना कि राहुल गाँधी जी हमारा स्टार प्रचारक है और ये अकेला बीजेपी को जिताने के लिए काफी है l *तो जाति, धर्म में नहीं बांटना है, अबकि बार 400 पार…. _#ModiSarkarKiGuarantee” (English translation: See below.)
Here’s the link to the above post.
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the above claim, and found it to be FALSE.
With a keyword search, we discovered multiple Facebook videos shared by verified Congress pages. The video posted by the Indian National Congress’ Madhya Pradesh page on March 2 displays visuals similar to the viral clip.
The video caption includes a segment of Gandhi’s speech to the public, which also matches the content of the viral video. It quotes Rahul Gandhi saying, “Last year we did ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, in which thousands of people walked with us. Today, the opposition does not appear in the media, so we went directly to the public and expressed our views through the yatra. Today there is a fight between the ideologies of hate and love in the country. On the one hand, BJP is dividing people in the name of caste and religion, while on the other hand, Congress party is trying to bring everyone together.”
We then found an extended edition of Gandhi’s speech on YouTube, available via a live stream on the Indian National Congress’ verified channel, dated March 2, with a title: “You guys, don’t talk too much, sit here..” Rahul Gandhi roared in Madhya Pradesh.
The extended video clarifies that Rahul Gandhi criticised BJP for dividing the country, rather than praising it. He mentioned at the 2:29 mark that while the BJP tries to divide people based on religion, caste, and state, the Congress aims to unite everyone. Gandhi stated that the purpose of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra was to “Open a shop of love in this market of hate.”
Thus, it is evident from the above information that a clipped video has gone viral claiming that Rahul Gandhi praised BJP during a recent election rally.
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