Old media of Chandrababu Naidu meeting INDIA bloc leaders falsely linked to 2024 LS post-poll politics
NewsMeter found that the claim is false as the video shows Shivakumar meeting Naidu at Bengaluru Airport in December 2023. Even the image of Akhilesh Yadav meeting Naidu is old.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 5 Jun 2024 12:00 PM GMT
Claim: Viral video and image show INDIA bloc leaders DK Shivakumar and Akhilesh Yadav meeting TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu separately to convince the latter to join the alliance.
Fact: The claim is false. The video is from December 2023 and the image is from May 2019.
Hyderabad: After Telugu Desam Party (TDP) pulled off stunning wins in the 2024 Andhra Pradesh Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, there is speculation that the Opposition INDIA bloc, now just 40 seats short of a majority following a stronger-than-expected performance, could approach TDP boss N Chandrababu Naidu for the alliance.
Against this backdrop, old images and videos of Naidu meeting with INDIA bloc leaders are making rounds on social media.
A video of Congress leader and Karnataka deputy CM DK Shivakumar meeting with Chandrababu Naidu at an airport is circulating with the claim suggesting that the meeting took place after the results were announced.
A user on X shared the video, claiming that Shivkumar met with Naidu in an attempt to switch sides to the INDIA bloc and support Rahul Gandhi as the prime minister of India. (Archive)
An image of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav meeting with Chandrababu Naidu is also circulating on social media. (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false as the video shows Shivakumar meeting Naidu at Bengaluru Airport in December 2023. Even the image of Akhilesh Yadav meeting Naidu is old.
Shivakumar meeting Naidu
We conducted a specific keyword search and found the extended version of the video, published by Live Hindustan, Mango News and Oneindia Telugu in December 2023.
According to Oneindia Telugu, Chandrababu Naidu had a cordial interaction with DK Shivakumar at Bengaluru Airport. Shivakumar was on his way to the Congress Formation Day rally in Nagpur, while Naidu had arrived at HAL Airport to attend a party meeting in the city.
According to an NDTV report from December 29, 2023, the meeting between Naidu and Shivakumar on the tarmac of Bengaluru airport was a ‘chance’ meeting which had led to speculation about political equations in Andhra Pradesh ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and Assembly polls in the state.
The TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh also clarified that the meeting was coincidental and no political meaning should be seen in it. He had told the media that the meeting does not imply that the TDP will be part of the India bloc.
Akhilesh Yadav meeting Naidu
We conducted another keyword search on X and discovered an image of a meeting between two leaders posted on Yadav’s X handle on May 18, 2019. The caption mentioned that Naidu was the chief minister at that time and the meeting occurred in Lucknow.
Current political stand of TDP
We came across The Times of India and NDTV reports published on June 5, 2024. According to these reports, Naidu in a press briefing clarified that he is firmly with the BJP-led NDA. Clearing the buzz, he said that he is with NDA and is going to Delhi for the meeting.
Hence, we conclude that the video of Naidu meeting with Shivkumar and the image of Naidu meeting Yadav are both old. The claim that these meetings occurred after the 2024 Lok Sabha results is false.
