Morphed photo shows Smriti Irani watching Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra

Hyderabad: The Congress party has undertaken a 3,500-km 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from Kanyakumari to Kashmir under the leadership of its leader Rahul Gandhi. The march, which started on 7 September, will cover 12 states in 150 days.

As the march entered its ninth day, a photo of Union minister Smriti Irani reportedly watching Gandhi's Yatra on a laptop is circulating on social media.

"Smriti Irani is keeping a close eye on Rahul Gandhi in Bharat Jodo Yatra," wrote a user who posted the photo on Facebook. (Translated)

Several other users shared the image with similar claims. (See the posts here and here).

Fact Check

NewsMeter performed a reverse image search to find the truth behind the photo and found that many media outlets have used it in their articles published in December 2020. In the original image, the minister can be seen attending a virtual meeting on a laptop.

Smriti Irani had also posted the photo on Instagram with the caption, "#pandemic mornings."

For better clarity, we have highlighted the digital alterations made to the original photo. Rahul Gandhi's image is not there in the original photo and the glass on the table is filled with what looks like water. In the altered photo, the colour of the liquid has been changed to make it appear like alcohol.

It is evident that the viral photo has been morphed. Hence, the claim is false.