Fact Check: Does Rahul Gandhi’s selfie show a picture of Jesus in his room?
A selfie of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi showing their ink-marked fingers after voting during the sixth phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on May 25 has gone viral.
By Sibahathulla Sakib Published on 25 May 2024 2:47 PM GMT
Claim: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s selfie on election day shows a framed picture of Jesus in his room.
Fact: The claim is false. The framed painting in the selfie is a 1932 painting by Nicholas Roerich titled Madonna Oriflamma.
Hyderabad: A selfie of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi showing their ink-marked fingers after voting during the sixth phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on May 25 has gone viral. Those sharing the selfie claim that a painting of Jesus is framed on the wall in the background.
“Janeudhari Brahmin Rahul Gandhi has a picture of Jesus in his room.... No picture of Hindu gods in the same room... Nice!!!!” wrote an X user while sharing the selfie. (Archive)
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Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The painting in the selfie is not Jesus Christ but a 1932 painting by Nicholas Roerich titled Madonna Oriflamma.
We found the original selfie tweeted by Rahul Gandhi from his X account. In the caption, he announced that ‘me and my mother contributed to this great festival of democracy by casting our votes’ and encouraged others to do the same.
Using a reverse image search of the painting in the background, led us to an online store where a poster of the painting is on sale. The description of the painting read, “This poster of Nicholas Roerich’s 1932, Madonna Oriflama features the Banner of Peace as a symbolic reminder of Roerich’s vision for humanity. The original artwork is in the Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York.” Nicholas Roerich is a Russian painter and thinker.
We also found the painting posted on the Facebook page of Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York. The caption read, “Ever wonder what the symbol of the three dots means? It appears in this painting, ‘Madonna Oriflamma’ (1932) and as the symbol for the Roerich Pact and Banner of Peace.”
We found the explanation for the Roerich Pact and Banner of Peace on the museum’s website that was listed in the bio of their Facebook page.
The Roerich Pact was first agreed to by 21 nations of the Americas and signed as a treaty in the White House, in the presence of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, on April 15, 1935, by all the members of the Pan-American Union. It was later signed by other countries also, the website said.
According to the website, “The (Roerich) Pact itself declared the necessity for protection of the cultural product and activity of the world—both during war and peace—and prescribed the method by which all sites of cultural value would be declared neutral and protected, just as the Red Cross does with hospitals. Indeed, the Roerich Pact was often called The Red Cross of Culture.”
Explaining the sign on the banner, the website stated, “Just as the Red Cross is embodied in a protective sign and banner, so does the Roerich Pact also designate a symbol—the one seen on this page—to be displayed on a banner, The Banner of Peace. This Banner, flown at all sites of cultural activity and historical value, would declare them neutral, independent of combatant forces.”
Hence, the claim that Rahul Gandhi’s selfie shows a framed picture of Jesus is false.
