PM Modi did not say elections can be won by selling false dreams to poor

Hyderabad: A Facebook reel containing three clips of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being widely shared on social media. In the clips, he can be heard saying, “One does not have to work that much to form a government.” He also says “sell dreams to the poor, lie to them, make them fight amongst each other and rule” and “this is us and this our thinking.”

The video is accompanied by a text which reads, “BJP does not need to work hard to win elections, they win by raking up Hindi-Muslim issue.”

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the three clips are from different videos and are being shared with missing context.

We ran a keyword search and found the extended version of the video in a Dainik Bhaskar article from September 2022. According to the article, the video is from the PM’s “Har Ghar Jal Utsav address” in Panaji, Goa.

Mr. Modi can be heard saying, “One does not have to work hard to form a government but to build a country, one has to work hard. We have chosen the path of nation-building, so we are continuously solving the present and future challenges of the country. Those who do not care about the country, do not care about the present and future of the country…”

We also found a 22-minute video published by DD National on 7 September 2022. It is titled “PM’s video message at Har Ghar Jal Utsav in Panaji, Goa.” At the 7.40-minute mark, Mr. Modi can be heard saying the same as quoted above.

The second clip is from a speech from the Prime Minister’s election campaign rally in Bokakhat, Assam, delivered on 21 March 2021. On checking the 42.27-minute-long video published on BJP’s official YouTube channel, we found that the viral clip appears from the 35.20-minute mark. Mr. Modi can be heard saying, “Sell dreams to the poor, lie to them, make them fight amongst each other and rule,” and adds, “this has always been Congress’s formula to stay in power.”

The third clip is from PM Modi’s reply to the motion of thanks to the President’s address in the Lok Sabha in 2019.

It is evident that the three clips are from three different videos and are being shared with missing context. We conclude that PM Modi never said elections can be won by selling false dreams to the poor. Hence, the video containing three clips is misleading.