Hyderabad: A photo of AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi seated beside RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat while the latter greets Union minister of state for parliamentary affairs and culture Arjun Ram Meghwal (a BJP member) is going viral on social media. Netizens claim that the photo shows Mr. Owaisi's association with the BJP.
Fact Check:
NewsMeter found that the viral image is fake.
A reverse image search led us to the original photo that shows former UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav seated beside Mohan Bhagwat and not Mr. Owaisi. The original picture was taken when Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mohan Bhagwat met at the wedding reception of Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu's granddaughter in Delhi in December 2021. Mohan Bhagwat was greeting Arjun Ram Meghwal during the event.
This photo was carried by Tribune India, The Times of India, and India Today.
It was also tweeted by Arjun Ram Meghwal who can be seen in the photo.
UP Congress had tweeted the photo resulting in a controversy as the party took a dig at the Samajwadi Party.
Clearly, the viral image is fake. The photo was edited to falsely show Mr. Owaisi with Mohan Bhagwat and Arjun Ram Meghwal.