Fact Check: Video of Rahul Gandhi’s non-veg meal is not from Shravan month
The viral video is from April 2023, before the Shravan month.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 15 Aug 2023 9:46 AM GMT
Screengrab from the X post.
Hyderabad: A video of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi featuring in a show with actor and food journalist Kunal Vijjayakar is being shared on social media, with users claiming that Rahul is eating non-vegetarian food during the Hindu auspicious month of Shravan.
Taking a swipe at Rahul, an X user shared the video and wrote, “Shiv Bhakt Rahul Gandhi from the lineage of a pundit family is enjoying chicken tandoori in the holy month of Shravan. (Translated from Hindi)”
(Image Credit: X/@swatisharma677)
According to the Hindu calendar, this year’s Shravan month (also called Sawan) began on July 4 and will conclude on August 31. The month holds great religious significance among Hindus as it honours Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. This year's Shravan has been extended for two months, which is a rarity seen after almost two decades. Hindus usually abstain from eating non-vegetarian during the period of Shravan.
Fact Check
NewsMeter could not independently verify whether Rahul Gandhi abstained from eating non-vegetarian during Shravan month. However, the viral video is from April 2023, before the Shravan month.
We ran a relevant keyword search and found Rahul Gandhi’s interview with Kunal Vijjayakar published on April 23 on the latter’s food blogging channel Khaane Mein Kya Hai. The video shows the Congress leader enjoying gol gappa, chole bhature, tandoori chicken, kebabs and mohabbat ka sharbat in restaurants and on the streets of Delhi.
The viral clip appears at 12:20 minutes in the original video. Since the video was published in April, three months before Shravan month started, the viral post can’t prove that Rahul Gandhi has been eating non-vegetarian food during the Shravan month.
We also found the teaser of the interview posted on April 21, 2023, on Kunal Vijjayakar’s Instagram page, captioned “Our debut in Delhi couldn’t have been better! @RahulGandhi joins us for a food journey like never before.”
The interview was also featured on Rahul Gandhi’s official YouTube channel on April 22, 2023, titled “Dilli Mein Chole Bhature Aur Mohabbat Ka Sharbat | Rahul Gandhi | Interaction with Kunal Vijayakar.”
On April 18, 2023, India Today reported that Rahul Gandhi was spotted interacting with people while enjoying delicacies at Delhi’s Bengali Market and the Chandni Chowk area. It also mentioned that he was accompanied by food writer and blogger Kunal Vijjaykar.
Hence, we conclude that the viral clip is from an interview of Rahul Gandhi given to Kunal Vijjaykar in April this year. The claim that the video shows Rahul enjoying non-vegetarian food in the Shravan month is false.
