Fact Check: Video of Navjot Singh Sidhu criticising Rahul Gandhi over nationalism is from 2010
NewsMeter found that the video dates back to 2010 when Sidhu was a BJP MP.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 21 Feb 2024 2:14 PM GMT
Screengrab of the Facebook post.
As the Lok Sabha elections approach, there is speculation about several Congress leaders, including Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, joining the BJP. In this context, a video of Sidhu criticising Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and suggesting that he go to school to understand the distinction between nationalism and treason is going viral on social media.
A Facebook user shared the video, claiming that it shows Sidhu confronting Rahul Gandhi before leaving the Congress Party.
Several Facebook users have shared the video, making similar claims. (Click here, here and here to see the posts.)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the video dates back to 2010 when Sidhu was a BJP MP.
The viral video carries the India TV logo. Using this as a clue, we conducted a keyword search and found the video uploaded to the YouTube channel of India TV on October 8, 2010. The video is titled “RSS Remark: Sidhu Asks Rahul To Go To School.”
According to the channel, Sidhu, who was a BJP MP at that time, had asked Rahul Gandhi to go to school to learn the difference between nationalism and treason after he equated Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) with the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) during the Municipal Corporation elections campaign in Gujarat.
We also came across reports from The Indian Express and The Times of India from 2010, stating that Sidhu had called Rahul Gandhi a child and asked him to go to school over his remarks, calling RSS a fanatic group and comparing it with SIMI.
