Fact Check: Viral image shows Congress leader Venugopal drinking black tea, not alcohol
By Sibahathulla Sakib Published on 15 Jun 2024 10:01 PM IST
Claim: Rajya Sabha MP and Congress leader KC Venugopal was drinking alcohol at a restaurant in Kerala during Rahul Gandhiās visit.
Fact: The claim is false. It is black tea in his glass, not alcohol.
Hyderabad: An image of Kerala Congress leader KC Venugopal, allegedly drinking alcohol at a restaurant with other leaders including Rahul Gandhi, has gone viral. The photo shows Rajya Sabha MP KC Venugopal holding a glass containing a black-coloured liquid, that many are claiming to be alcohol.
Tagging the Kerala police, an X user shared the photo with the caption, āthis restaurant doesnt have licence to sell alcohol. How they are serving alcohol to Congress leaders? (sic)ā (Archive)
The post also included a video report from IANS with the caption, āWatch: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on his way to Wayanad, enjoyed a delicious lunch at the āWhite Houseā restaurant in Thamarassery.ā The image is a screenshot from the video report.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false.
A close examination of the glass that Venugopal was holding revealed a sediment at the bottom. This is similar to the tea sediment seen in glasses with black tea.
A keyword search led us to a report from The Times of India titled āTea, not alcohol: Congress clarifies viral photo of K C Venugopalā published June 14, 2024. According to the report, Congress on Friday issued a clarification on a viral photo of party general secretary KC Venugopal. It said that rumours of Venugopal consuming alcohol in a restaurant is fake news; it was only black tea in the glass. The Congress has also lodged a complaint in Hyderabad against the fake claim doing rounds on social media.
As per the report, Congress identified an individual named Shashank Singh behind the spread of the fake news. āThis individual Shashank Singh had not only posted a false caption with the picture but he had also tagged the Kerala Police and asked them to take actions against Shri KC Venugopal Ji.ā
We also found similar reports on the issue from NDTV and ANI News.
Additionally, an X post by Congress shared information that Congress MLC Dr Venkat Narsing Rao Balmoor has lodged a complaint with the Cyber Crimes Police Station in Hyderabad, accompanied by a copy of the FIR.
It is clear that Venugopal was not drinking alcohol but black tea in the viral image.
