Did Liz Truss say Indians follow illiterate leaders or spiritual preachers?
The quote reads, “India is a nation that blindly follows illiterate leaders and spiritual preachers.”
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 13 March 2023 5:18 PM IST
(Screengrab source: Twitter)
Hyderabad: A quote attributed to former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss is doing the rounds on social media. The quote reads, “India is a nation that blindly follows illiterate leaders and spiritual preachers.”
A Twitter user shared a graphic of Liz Truss’s photo accompanied by the quote. (Archive)
(Screengrab source: Twitter)
Several other Twitter and Facebook users also shared the quote. (Click here and here to see the Facebook posts.)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the viral graphic has been digitally altered. The original graphic has a statement about her resignation as UK’s Prime Minister.
We noticed the logo of “Bolta Hindustan” on the viral graphic. Taking this as a cue, we searched for its Twitter handle which is also mentioned in the graphic and found the original image was posted on 20 October 2022.
The original statement reads, “I resigned because I could not deliver on the promises I came to power with.”
Next, we ran a keyword search about Truss’s statement regarding India and came across an ABP report published on 24 February 2023. It quoted Truss as saying, “I think India is a leader. You are the world’s biggest democracy, the world’s biggest country now by population and economic powerhouse.”
Hence, we conclude that the viral statement attributed to Liz Truss is false.
