Fact Check: No, viral image of Congress MPs in black is not in protest of Ram Mandir
The photo shows Congress MPs wearing black at the Parliament on the day when the foundation stone was laid for Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 17 Nov 2023 6:10 PM IST
Screengrab of the post making the false claim. (Source: X/@AmitLeliSlayer)
Hyderabad: A photo showing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and several other Congress MPs wearing black clothes is going viral on social media. Users claim that the photo shows Congress MPs wearing black at the Parliament on the day when the foundation stone was laid for Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
An X user shared the image with the caption, āNever forget. Never Forgive. On 5 August 2020, when the foundation stone of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi was being laid, Congress MPs went to Parliament wearing black clothes.ā
Several other social media users have shared the image, claiming the same. Click here, here and here to view the posts.
Fact Check
NewMeter found that the image is from 2022, two years after the foundation stone was laid for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
Upon a reverse image search, we found the image in a report by The Telegraph from August 5, 2022. As per the image description by the newspaper, it shows Congress MPs marching towards Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi as part of the partyās nationwide protest over price rises, unemployment and GST hikes on essential items.
The image has been credited to news agency PTI.
(Source: The Telegraph)
We also found the image in a TOI report published on the same date. āCongress MPs stage protest in Parliament against price rise, GST hike,ā read the image description.
The foundation of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya was laid in 2020, and the viral image of Congress MPs has been available on the internet only since August 5, 2022. Hence, we conclude that the claim of Congress MPs going to parliament in black dress on the day when the foundation stone of Ram Mandir was laid is false.
