Fact Check: PM Modi gets called out on 'vote chori' by kids? No, video is edited
A video clip allegedly showing a child saying ‘vote chori’ when interacting with PM Modi is going viral.
By K Sherly Sharon
Claim:The video shows a child telling PM Modi that he has seen him on TV in connection with the vote theft allegations by the Congress party.
Fact:The claim is false. The video of PM Modi interacting with children is from 2023. It has been edited to add the audio ‘vote chori’.
Hyderabad: Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi has alleged ‘vote theft’ against the Election Commission and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
In this context, a video of children interacting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going viral on social media. In the video, PM Modi can be seen talking to children, who tell him that they have seen him on television. The Prime Minister then asks what he was doing on TV, to which one child is allegedly heard replying ‘vote chori’ (vote theft).
This video was shared on Instagram with the caption, “Every child came to know #votechori #bjp #narendramodi” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the viral claim is false. The video of PM Modi interacting with children is from 2023; it has been edited to add the audio ‘vote chori’.
In the background of the viral video, we found the text ‘My Balvatika’ on a flexi. Using this keyword, we found an Indian Express report published on July 30, 2023. The report was titled, ‘Watch: PM Modi interacts with little ones at Shiksha Samagam, takes photo on request.’
The image used in the report and the viral video are from the same event.
A comparison of a screenshot of the viral video and the image from the Indian Express report can be seen below.
The report stated that PM Modi inaugurated the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on July 29, 2023.
“The inauguration coincided with the third anniversary of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. PM Modi also viewed the exhibition showcased on the occasion,” read the report.
During the exhibition, the PM interacted with young kids aged four to five years.
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) posted a press release on July 29, 2023, titled, ‘PM spends time with children at the sidelines of Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam.’
This press release shared an X post made on the same day by the official account of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This X post contained an extended version of the viral video, showing the PM’s interaction with the kids.
In this video, PM Modi is seen asking the children if they knew who Modiji was. They answered that they had seen him on TV. The PM then asked them what he was doing on TV, to which one child is heard replying, “I saw your photo on TV”. The child then hugs the Prime Minister.
In the viral video, it is at this moment that the words ‘vote chori’ are heard. However, this is not heard in the video posted by the Prime Minister.
Rahul Gandhi made the allegations of vote theft against the BJP and ECI on August 7.
The video clip of PM Modi interacting with children is from July 29, 2023.
It is clear that the video clip predates the allegations of vote theft, and that the audio of ‘vote chori’ has been added to the video digitally.
Therefore, NewsMeter concludes that the viral claim is false. The video of PM Modi interacting with children is from 2023; it has been edited to add the audio ‘vote chori’.
