Fact Check: Video of Nehru saying he was not involved in Independence struggle is edited
The original video shows Nehru saying Jinnah was not involved in the country’s independence movement.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 24 Jun 2024 12:10 PM GMT
Claim: The viral video shows Nehru saying he was not involved in India’s independence movement.
Fact: The claim is false. In the unedited video, Nehru could be heard saying Jinnah was not involved in the country’s independence movement.
Hyderabad: A video circulating on social media allegedly shows India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru stating that he was not involved in the country’s independence movement. In the video, Nehru can be heard saying, “I was not involved in the fight for independence at all.”
Speaking to an interviewer, he says, “In fact, he opposed it. The Muslim League was started in 1911, I think. It was started really by the British, encouraged by them so as to create factions in our eggs. They did succeed to an extent and ultimately there came a partition.”
When asked by the interviewer if he and Gandhi were in favour of partition, Nehru replies, “Mr Gandhi was not in favour of it right to the end. Even when it came he was not in favour of it. I was not in favour of it either but ultimately I decided like many others. It is better to have a partition than this constant…trouble.”
“Rare video…‘I was not involved in the freedom struggle at all. Rather, I opposed it.’ Nehru ji. (Translated from Hindi)” wrote an X user who shared the video. (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The original video shows Nehru saying Jinnah was not involved in the country’s independence movement.
We ran a specific keyword search and came across an unedited version of the video published by Prasar Bharati Archives on May 27, 2024, titled, ‘Jawahar Lal Nehru’s Last TV Interview in 1964.’
In this version, the interview is the same except that Nehru says ‘Mr Jinnah was not involved in the fight for independence at all. In fact, he opposed it.”
According to its bio, the channel is the official channel of Prasar Bharati. Prasar Bharati is an Indian state-owned public broadcaster, headquartered in New Delhi, India.
Going by the original version published by Prasar Bharati, it is clear that the video was edited to remove Jinnah’s name to make it sound like Nehru was saying he was not involved in the Independence struggle.
Who was Jinnah?
Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a prominent political leader, distinguished lawyer, and the driving force behind the creation of Pakistan. He is recognised as the founder of Pakistan and served as its first Governor-General from 1947 until he died in 1948.
Hence, we conclude that the viral video is edited and the claim is false.
