Fact Check: Bihar polls – Mallikarjun Kharge accuses Rahul Gandhi of fishing with locals for photo-op? No, here are the facts
A video has been circulating online, claiming it shows Mallikarjun Kharge accusing Rahul Gandhi of using fishermen for a photo-op.
By - Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The video shows Kharge accusing Rahul Gandhi of participating in a photo-op by jumping into a pond with the fishing community in Begusarai, Bihar.
Fact:The claim is false. The video shows Kharge commenting on BJP leaders taking a dip in the Ganga during the Maha Kumbh in January 2025.
Hyderabad: Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, jumped into a pond in Begusarai, Bihar, and participated in catching fish using hands and nets alongside local fishermen on November 2, marking an unconventional outreach effort during the ongoing Bihar election campaign.
Meanwhile, a video containing a clip of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, followed by footage of Rahul Gandhi diving into a pond, has been circulating on social media, with the claim that Kharge accused the Leader of the Opposition of participating in a photo-op and said he can never do anything good for the country.
In the video, Kharge can be heard saying, “These people go and spend thousands of rupees to participate in competitions involving plunging into water, and they continue doing so until they appear good on TV. Such people can never bring any benefit to the country.” (Archive)
An X user shared the video mocking Kharge with a caption that reads, “Kharge ji, it doesn’t suit you to speak like that about Rahul Gandhi.”
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as Kharge’s video is old and unrelated to Rahul Gandhi’s outreach to the fishing community.
A reverse image search of the video’s keyframe led us to the extended version of the footage published by NDTV on January 28, titled, ‘Mahakumbh 2025 | M Kharge Asks If Ganga Dips During Mahakumbh Would End Poverty.’
Kharge could be heard saying in the video, “Do you get food for your stomach? I do not want to attack anyone’s faith; if anyone is hurt by this, I apologise. But tell me: when a child is dying of hunger, when a child is not going to school, when workers are not getting their wages, and while that is happening, these people go and spend thousands of rupees to participate in competitions involving plunging into water, and they continue doing so until they appear good on TV. Such people can never bring any benefit to the country. Our faith is in God; everyone is free to do as they wish. You may pray every day at home—every man and woman prays before going out—we do not object to that. Our objection is against the exploitation of the poor in the name of religion; we must fight against that exploitation.”
It is clear from the above excerpt that the viral clip has been taken from this speech, where Kharge is taking a dig at people taking dips in the Ganga during Maha Kumbh in January 2025.
Kharge’s remarks were reported by India Today on January 27 in a report titled, ‘Does taking a dip remove poverty? Row over Mallikarjun Kharge’s Maha Kumbh remark.’
According to the report, Kharge had criticised BJP leaders for taking holy dips at the Maha Kumbh event in Prayagraj, questioning the significance of the ritual and accusing them of turning the sacred practice into a ‘competition’ while critical issues such as children dying of hunger, lack of education and widespread poverty remained unaddressed.
The report also noted that the BJP called Kharge’s remarks ‘an attack on Sanatan Dharma’ and demanded an explanation from the Congress party.
Therefore, we conclude that the video of Kharge is old and does not show him calling out Rahul Gandhi on his interaction with the fishing community in Bihar’s Begusarai. The claim is false.
