Fact Check: Old video of Vasundhara Raje accidentally slipping linked to Rajasthan’s change of guard
The video is at least seven years old. The claim that the incident happened before the legislative meeting of the BJP tomorrow is false.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 13 Dec 2023 4:30 AM GMT
Screengrab of the post making the misleading claim. (Source: X/@kamalraj__s)
In a surprising move, BJP announced Bhajan Lal Sharma, a first-time MLA, as the chief minister of Rajasthan, sidelining heavyweight and two-term CM Vasundhara Raje. Similarly, in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP picked Mohan Yadav over Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who was CM for 18 years.
Amidst this, a video of Vasundhara Raje accidentally slipping and falling on the ground is viral on social media. Users claim that the incident happened while she was going with a heavy heart to the party’s legislative meeting on December 12.
“The queen knew the trouble as she spent the night awake. Going to the Legislative Party meeting today with a heavy heart. Daughter-in-law of Jats, daughter of Rajputs, and support of Gurjars. Today someone else's dream will be fulfilled and only one's will be broken,” wrote an X user while sharing the video.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the video is at least seven years old. The claim that the incident happened before the legislative meeting of the BJP tomorrow is false.
Upon a reverse image search of the video’s keyframe, we came across a video report of Raje falling on the ground by the verified YouTube Channel VTV Gujarati News and Beyond on July 9, 2017. “CM Vasundhara Raje Sliped and Fall Down,” read the title.
Another YouTube Channel published the video on July 8, 2017, titled “Vasundhara Raje fell while walking.”
A news report from 2016 said that the incident happened when Raje had gone to celebrate Diwali in Dholapur. She was not doing well and fell when her leg got stuck in the saree near the helipad.
Hence, we conclude that the viral video is old and is falsely linked to the sidelining of Vasundhara Raje and the announcement of the new Rajasthan chief minister.
