Fact Check: Om Birla’s daughter Anjali married a Muslim man? Viral claim is false
Social media users have been claiming that Anjali Birali entered into wedlock with a Muslim man Aneesh Rajani.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 14 Nov 2024 12:53 PM GMT
Claim: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla married his daughter Anjali Birla to Aneesh Rajani, who is from a Muslim family.
Fact: This claim is false. Om Birla's office, speaking to NewsMeter, dismissed the viral claim. Aneesh Rajani is from a Sindhi Hindu family in Kota.
Anjali Birla, an IAS officer and daughter of Om Birla, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, married Aneesh Rajani on November 12, 2024, in Kota, Rajasthan. The wedding took place on Devuthani Ekadashi, an auspicious day in Hindu culture that marks the beginning of the wedding season.
In this context, some social media users claimed that Om Birla’s daughter married a Muslim man, with posts alleging that Aneesh Rajani belongs to the Muslim community.
A user on X shared a video of the newlyweds dancing and captioned the post, “Speaker Om Birla got his daughter Anjali Birla married to Aneesh Rajani from a Muslim family. Our young Hindu community is busy playing DJ in front of mosques and taking down flags from the roofs of Muslims. Blind devotees, open your eyes now.” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found the claim false, as Aneesh Rajani comes from a Sindhi Hindu community.
Om Birla’s office, speaking to NewsMeter, dismissed claims that Anjali Birla married a Muslim man.
A keyword search led to a November 13 report by NDTV Rajasthan, providing background information on Aneesh Rajani and his family. According to the report, Aneesh Rajani is of Sindhi heritage, and his father, Naresh Rajani, is a well-known Hindu businessman based in Kota with interests in the oil industry. Naresh Rajani is also recognized locally for his involvement in community activities, including supporting temple construction and other cultural initiatives related to Sanatan Dharma. The Rajani family is noted for its contributions to both business and local community service in the region.
The report also highlights that Anjali and Aneesh, who began as friends in school, eventually fell in love. Aneesh is currently the director of five companies, including Rajani Products Private Limited, AKR Greenco Private Limited, Primero Waste Solution Private Limited, Dhanish Trade Ventures Private Limited, and Arc Technologies Private Limited.
Navbharat Times (November 13) and News Tak (November 14) addressed the viral false claim about Aneesh Rajani’s background. These reports clarified that Aneesh is from a Sindhi Hindu family, countering the false information that he belongs to a Muslim background.
Former Gaya MP and Bharatiya Janta Party member Hari Manjhi shared the wedding invitation card of Aneesh Rajani and Anjali Birla on social media. The card identifies Aneesh as the son of Simran and Naresh Rajani, and Anjali as the daughter of Shakuntala and Om Birla.
In his post, Manjhi dismissed viral claims about Aneesh’s religious background, clarifying that he is a Sindhi Hindu from a business family in Kota. Manjhi added that the Rajani family has contributed to religious causes, including the construction of more than 12 Shiva temples.
Hence, we conclude that the claim of Anjali Birla marrying a Muslim man is false.
