Fact Check: Parvesh Verma embarrassed after positive response from Delhi resident on water, electricity? No, viral video is edited

Delhi is set to vote across all 70 constituencies on February 5, with the election results to be announced on February 8. In this context, a video clip of India Today’s news director Rahul Kanwal interviewing Pravesh Verma, the BJP candidate from the New Delhi Assembly constituency during the campaigning, has been circulating on social media.

In the clip, Verma can be heard claiming, “The residents do not receive clean water at home, there is no proper system, and everyone uses a common toilet.” At this point, Kanwal turns to a local woman and asks, “Do you get clean water at home?” She nods and replies, “Yes, the water supply is fine.”

Kanwal then asks, “Do you get a proper electricity supply?” The woman nods again, saying, “Yes.” Verma follows up, asking, “Do you receive an electricity bill? How much is it?” The woman responds, “We get 200 units free.”

Kanwal quips to Verma, “Sir, it is not entirely as you are saying that nothing has been done. Look, she says they are getting free electricity.” Verma counters, “But they still receive a bill.” Kanwal responds again, “But they are getting clean water.”

Taking a satirical dig at Verma, the official X handle of AAP shared the video with the caption, “The public did Moye-Moye to Pravesh Verma in front of the TV camera.” (Moye-Moye is often used humorously to imply someone was caught off guard or embarrassed.)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found the viral clip misleading, as it is edited and does not show the full response of the woman.

We conducted a keyword search and found the interview published on India Today’s YouTube channel on January 29, titled “BJP's Parvesh Verma Confident Of Defeating Kejriwal In New Delhi Assembly Constituency.”

In the interview, Verma alleges that the Kejriwal-led AAP’s Delhi government has done no development in the last 11 years. He criticises the concept of freebies and questions AAP’s claims of a global model of educational development, pointing out that the children of AAP ministers do not attend government schools. He also alleges that sewers in the slum area are blocked, residents do not receive clean water, and they have to rely on a common toilet.

The viral clip appears at the 19:23 mark, capturing Kanwal and Verma as they visit a slum area during the interview.

Verma can be heard saying, “The residents do not receive clean water at home, there is no proper system, and everyone uses a common toilet.” At this point, Kanwal turns to a local woman and asks, “Do you get clean water at home?” She nods and replies, “Yes, the water supply is fine.”

Kanwal then asks, “Do you get a proper electricity supply?” The woman nods again, saying, “Yes.” Verma follows up, asking, “Do you receive an electricity bill? How much is it?” The woman responds, “We get 200 units free.” At this moment, unlike the viral video, Kanwal does not immediately quip. Instead, the footage shows the woman responding, “₹500–₹600 per month.” This part of the response about the electricity bill has been edited out from the viral clip.

Following this, Kanwal remarks to Verma, “Sir, it is not entirely as you are saying that nothing has been done. Look, she says they are getting free electricity.” Verma counters, “But they still receive a bill.” Kanwal responds again, “But they are getting clean water.” The viral clip ends here and does not include Kanwal further asking the woman whether the supplied water is clean or dirty. In the full video, she responds, “The tap water outside is dirty, but I have an RO system installed at home.” This crucial part was omitted in the viral version.

After this, Verma asks Kanwal, “Now what do you have to say?” Kanwal responds, “Why should I say anything? Let the people speak.”

Verma, standing near the colony’s tap water point, then begins a conversation with the residents. He asks whether every home has a water supply tap and whether they receive clean water. A resident responds that there is only one tap in the mohalla and that while sometimes the water is clean, at other times it is completely dirty.

The residents also complained about the sewer system, with one of them stating that while twenty-five toilets were approved for construction, only ten were built, which are used by around five to six thousand people.

This extended version clearly shows that the viral video has been edited and shared out of context.

We also found the interview published on the website of India Today on January 29, titled “Vote for AAP if they worked for Delhi, or vote for us: BJP's Parvesh Verma.” This video also shows the same sequence of questions and answers after the 19:23 mark between Kanwal, Verma and the woman.

Therefore, we conclude that the viral clip is misleading, as it is edited and does not show the full response of the woman.