KCR did not say Modi is his friend after his daughter was named in Delhi liquor scam

Hyderabad: A video of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is circulating with the claim that he called Prime Minister Narendra Modi his best friend after his daughter K. Kavitha was named in the Delhi liquor policy scam.

In the video, KCR can be heard saying, "I have nothing against Mr. Modi. I have all respect for him as the honourable Prime Minister of India. Another important thing I am telling you. It should be noted because it is very important—I am his best friend also…"

BJP leader Priti Gandhi shared the video and wrote, "After his daughter has been named in the Delhi Liquor Excise scam, KCR is suddenly singing like a canary!!" (Archive)

Click here to see the post.

Fact Check

NewsMeter ran a keyword search and found a 2018 article in The Times of India that reported that KCR had called PM Modi his best friend. It quoted KCR as saying during a press conference, "I have nothing against Narendra Modi and have respect for him. I am his best friend, and we shared many issues in earlier meetings. He had praised the various schemes taken up by the government."

Further, we ran a keyword search on YouTube and found a video of KCR's press meet published by a verified YouTube channel, Around Telugu, in 2018. In this video, the viral clip of KCR saying that Mr. Modi is his best friend appears around the 31.40-minute mark.

It is evident that KCR had called Mr. Modi his best friend, but the viral clip dates back to 2018.

When was KCR's daughter K. Kavitha named in the Delhi liquor policy case?

We ran a keyword search and found several reports from early December 2022 that said K. Kavitha was named in the Delhi liquor policy case.

According to a report published by NDTV, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), on 30 November 2022, named Telangana legislator K. Kavitha in a court filing over its investigation into the Delhi liquor policy case.

The Central agency, citing statements by an arrested Gurugram businessman, Amit Arora, claimed that Ms. Kavitha was a key member of the group which paid Rs. 100 crores in kickbacks to leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi, it said.

The Times of India, on 30 November, had also reported that ED, for the first time, named Ms. Kavitha in the Delhi liquor policy case.

The viral clip of KCR calling Mr. Modi is from 2018 while KCR's daughter K. Kavitha was named in the Delhi liquor policy case on 30 November 2022. Hence, we conclude that the claim is misleading.