Fact Check: Image of Smriti Irani holding fish shot before Navratri
The claim is misleading as the image predates Chaitra Navratri which began on April 9.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 15 April 2024 12:34 PM GMT
Screengrab of the post making the misleading claim. (Source: X/@DeepakSinghINC)
Claim: The image of minister Smriti Irani with a fish was taken during the holy festival of Navratri.
Fact: The image was taken on April 6 during her campaign for RC Paul Kanagaraj, the BJP North Chennai candidate. Chaitra Navratri began on April 9 this year and ends on April 17.
Hyderabad: On April 12, during the campaign trail, prime minister Narendra Modi made a veiled attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, RJD supremo Lalu Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav, accusing them of consuming non-vegetarian food during the Sawan and Navratri festivals.
Against this backdrop, a collage of two images of Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani; one with her holding a fish and the other with a portrait of Goddess Durga are doing rounds on social media. Those sharing the collage claim that the image of Irani with the fish was taken during the holy festival of Navratri.
“On the holy festival of Navratri, a fish in one hand and a photo of Goddess Durga in the other!” wrote an X user who shared the image. (Archive)
(Source: X/@DeepakSinghINC)
Several Facebook users have also shared the image claiming the same.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading as the image predates Chaitra Navratri which began on April 9.
According to a Hindustan Times report of April 13, Chaitra Navratri began on April 9 this year and ends on April 17 with the Ram Navami celebrations.
Upon conducting a reverse image search of the photograph featuring Irani with a fish, we found it posted by the Times of India (Archive) X handle on April 6, 2024. The accompanying caption indicated that the BJP state secretary, Satishkumar, presented a fish to Irani during her campaign for RC Paul Kanagaraj, the BJP North Chennai candidate.
We also found it used as a cover image in a report by the Times of India published on April 6. According to the description by the newspaper of the image, it shows Irani in the centre, BJP state secretary Satishkumar to the left and RC Paul Kanagaraj on the right.
ETV Bharat carried the image in a Tamil report published on April 6. It mentioned Irani campaigning in support of North Chennai BJP candidate Kanagaraj and attacked the INDIA bloc.
We also found the image of Irani with a portrait of Goddess Durga. It was posted as part of a collage on Irani’s official X handle (Archive) on April 6. In the accompanying caption, she highlighted her participation in the campaign trail alongside Kanagaraj and her interactions with the women of the Tamil Nadu Pravasi Mahila Sangathan.
Hence, we conclude that the image of Irani predates the Navratri. The claim that Irani was shot while holding a fish taken during Navratri is misleading.
