Fact Check: Video showing Jagan ‘throwing away theertham’ is clipped

Hyderabad: In the backdrop of the Tirupati Laddu adulteration controversy, a video of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy and his wife, YS Bharathi Reddy, has gone viral

The 18-second clip shows Jagan and Bharathi, purportedly at a temple amid religious chants, taking the sacred water (theertham) from a priest in their palms. While Jagan waves his hand around his head, Bharathi is seen drinking the theertham and wiping the rest on her hair, a common religious gesture.

Those sharing the video claim that it shows Jagan rejecting and throwing away the theertham offered to him.

The official X handle of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), currently in power in the State, shared the video and wrote, “When Tirumala Laddu is given as prasadam, he avoids eating it. He arranges a temple at home, and when sacred water (theertham) is given, he pretends to drink and pours it on the ground. He and his wife have never offered sacred silk garments (pattu vastram) to the Lord. For the past five years, Jagan Reddy has also personally desecrated the Lord.” (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found the claim was false, as the video in circulation was zoomed and clipped deliberately to show Jagan’s actions in bad light.

We checked the comments on the TDP post and found that a verified X user, Rohit Gangireddygari, with a display picture of Jagan, shared an extended and higher-quality version of the clip. He called the claim fake in the caption. (Archive)

The 24-second video showed Jagan drinking the theertham, rubbing his hands together and waving them around his head with his wife doing the same, in the same order as the viral clip. The video continued with the priest blessing the couple with the shatagopam – a scared dome-shaped vessel put on the devotee’s head after they drink the theertham.

Further, we did a keyword search and found a video published by the Sakshi TV YouTube channel on January 14, 2024, titled ‘CM YS Jagan And YS Bharathi Sankranti Festival 2024 Celebrations Highlights.’ The video showed Jagan and his wife performing several religious rituals.

At around the 2:47-minute mark, a priest ties the sacred thread (kalawa) to Jagan’s hand who ties the same to his wife’s hand. This is followed by both drinking the theertham, as seen in the viral clip. It is evident from this video that the viral clip was edited and does not show Jagan discarding the theertham.

The YSR Congress Party X handle also shared a collage of the clipped and the original video, debunking the claim. (Archive)

Hence, we conclude that the video claiming to show Jagan rejecting and discarding the theertham is clipped and the claim is false.