Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel did not welcome Congress leaders with gold chains

Hyderabad: A video of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel welcoming Congress leaders with garlands has gone viral on social media. It is being claimed that the CM welcomed his party leaders with gold chains during the Congress party’s 85th plenary session in Raipur.

Several Twitter users shared the video making the claim.

Click here and here to see the posts.

The video is being shared on Facebook as well with the same claim.

Fact Check

NewsMeter verified that the video shows Mr. Baghel welcoming the guests with a garland made of grass and parts of a tree called “Khirsali.”

Mr. Baghel took to Twitter to clarify about the garland. He tweeted a video in which a man who introduces himself as Itwari Ram Machiya of the ‘Baiga’ community speaks about the garland called “Biran.” Mr. Machiya explains that the garland is weaved using grass and parts of a tree called “Khirsali.” He also thanks CM Baghel for using the garland during the plenary and congratulates the people of his community.

The video also shows a woman making the same garland as seen in the viral clip.

Congress leader and treasurer of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) Pawan Kumar Bansal tweeted photos of the garland and called the fake claims about the garland “false propaganda.” He further said the garland was made by the poor tribal women of Chhattisgarh.

An NBT article reported that Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel welcomed Congress leaders with garlands made of bamboo trees. It also said that the CM informed the guests while welcoming them that the garland was locally produced in the tribal area of Bastar.

We conclude that the Chhattisgarh CM did not welcome leaders with gold chains during the Congress party’s 85th plenary session in Raipur. Hence, the claim is false.