BJP falsely claims Rahul Gandhi refused to wear turban in absence of camera during Bharat Jodo Yatra in Punjab
BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa shared a video on 11 January and claimed that it shows Rahul Gandhi refusing to wear a turban in the absence of the camera.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 13 Jan 2023 10:28 AM GMT
Click here to see the post.
BJP IT head Amit Malviya also shared the video and wrote, āEverything is choreographed in Bharat Jodo Yatra including who should be called in to tie the turban and its colour. What is offensive though is Rahul Gandhi refusing to wear the turban when there were no camerasā¦Exploiting religious sentiments for politics is in Congressās DNA.ā (Archive)
Several others have also shared the video claiming the same.
(Click here and here to view the posts.)
Fact Check
NewsMeter carefully listened to the conversation in the viral video and found that Rahul Gandhiās refusal was to a woman who wanted to take a picture with him and not for wearing a turban.
We also noticed the logo of State News Punjab in the viral video. Next, we searched for the video and found a better-resolution video posted by State News Punjab on 10 January. In the video, Mr. Gandhi can be heard talking about the turban and its colour. Meanwhile, at around 0.5 minutes, a voice of a woman requesting a picture can be heard, and Mr. Gandhi says, āNot at this moment, madam.ā
Further, we found that Manjeet Singh Ferozpuria had tied the turban on Rahul Gandhi. Mr. Ferozpuria also published the video of him tying the turban on Rahul Gandhi on his YouTube channel on 10 January 2023. The video is titled āToday Manjeet Singh Ferozpuria tied a turban to Rahul Gandhi.ā
Speaking to NewsMeter, Mr. Ferozpuria confirmed that he helped Mr. Gandhi wear the turban and that the claim of the Congress leader refusing to wear the turban is completely fake. He also clarified that the viral video shows Mr. Gandhi refusing to take a photo with a woman. He further added, āMr. Gandhi was very respectful of the turban and there should be no politics on the turban.ā
Hence, we conclude that the claim by BJP leaders that Rahul Gandhi refused to wear a turban in the absence of cameras is false.
