This video of a man objecting to bhoomi puja is from Tamil Nadu, not Karnataka

Hyderabad: A video showing a man objecting to a bhoomi puja (a Hindu ritual of offering respect to Mother Earth during the foundation-laying ceremony) is doing the rounds on social media. Those sharing it claim that the video is from Congress-ruled Karnataka.

A Twitter user shared the video and wrote, “The leader is angry because the PWD officer called only a pandit ji for bhoomi puja, not the pastor and maulvi…This is Karnataka under Congress rule.”

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the video dates back to 2022 and is from Tamil Nadu. It shows S. Senthilkumar, a Lok Sabha MP from the state’s ruling party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), objecting to a bhoomi puja.

We noticed that the man in the video is speaking Tamil and questioning a government official and asking him if he was aware that a government function should not involve prayers from only one particular religion. He is also heard asking where the representatives of other religions are.

Taking a cue from this, we ran a keyword search and found a report by The News Minute from 17 July 2022. It said after a bhoomi puja was conducted to launch a lake rejuvenation project in Tamil Nadu, DMK MP S. Senthilkumar from Dharmapuri visited the spot and reprimanded the Public Works Department (PWD) official for having only a Hindu priest at the event.

A Deccan Herald article from 16 July 2022 said the DMK MP Senthilkumar from Dharmapuri objected to Hindu rituals performed at a government function. He told officials that “every religion” should be treated equally in Tamil Nadu, following Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s “Dravidian Model” governance.

We also found that Mr. Senthilkumar had tweeted the video on 16 July 2022. “Trying to Keep my cool. At times they make me to lose my patience,” read the tweet.

Hence, we conclude that the claim that the video is from Congress-ruled Karnataka is false.