A video of Prime Minister Modi’s speech is extensively shared on social media, claiming that he made remarks about President Droupadi Murmu’s skin colour. In the video, he is heard speaking in Hindi (English translation: “Those with black skin are from Africa. Droupadi Murmu is also African because she has dark skin; therefore, she should be defeated.”
Here’s the link to the viral post. (Archive)
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the above claim, and found it to be FALSE.
With relevant keywords, the NM team identified the full footage of PM Modi’s speech, from which the viral excerpt was taken, on a YouTube. Modi delivered this speech on May 8, 2024, during an election campaign in Warangal, Telangana. At the 42:50 mark of the video, Modi refers to Congress’s attempts to defeat President Droupadi Murmu in the presidential election and mentions recent statements by Sam Pitroda, who compared people with dark skin to Africans.
Modi explained that Congress tried to defeat Murmu based on her skin colour. He quoted Pitroda’s comments, saying: “Those with black skin are from Africa. Droupadi Murmu is also African because she has dark skin; therefore, she should be defeated.” This quote linked Pitroda’s remarks to the Presidential election.
News articles reporting on Modi’s speech can be seen here and here. These sources make it clear that the portion where Modi referred to Sam Pitroda’s comments has been edited, leaving only the segment about Murmu’s skin colour circulating.
Earlier, Congress leader Sam Pitroda caused controversy with remarks comparing Indians from the South and East to Africans and Chinese, respectively, during an interview. The Congress party later distanced itself from Pitroda’s comments, calling them “unfortunate and unacceptable”.
Thus, we can conclusively say that a clipped video of PM Modi’s speech has been shared with false narratives.
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