Fact Check: Viral video of AAP’s Atishi asking people to ‘vote for goondas’ instead of BJP is from 2019 elections
The viral clip is being shared without context. Atishi’s video was from the 2019 elections.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 26 April 2024 9:28 AM GMT
Screengrabs from the post. (Source: X/@rishibagree)
Claim: Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) leader Atishi urges people not to hesitate to vote for individuals with questionable backgrounds to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Fact: The viral clip is being shared without context. Atishi’s video was from the 2019 elections when she asked voters to choose a ‘gooda’ instead of a BJP candidate.
Hyderabad: While India is voting on Friday (April 26), for the second of seven-phase 2024 Lok Sabha elections in 88 constituencies across 12 States and a Union Territory (Jammu and Kashmir), a video of Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) leader Atishi urging people not to hesitate to vote for individuals with questionable backgrounds, including goons or thugs, to defeat the BJP is currently circulating on social media, suggesting that the video is from ongoing election campaigning.
“It is our responsibility to vote for a candidate/party that can defeat BJP. No single party in the country can defeat the BJP alone. There are regional parties that are fighting against the BJP in several states. In UP, only the SP-BSP collation can defeat the BJP. So, one should vote for the alliance no matter how the candidate is. If the candidate is a goonda, still, we have to vote for the candidate to defeat BJP,” Atishi is heard saying in the video.
“If you have to vote for a goon, then vote for a goon because Modi has to be defeated - Atishi Marlena. And they came to change politics,” wrote an X user while sharing the video. (Archive)
(Source: X/@rishibagree)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the video could be misleading as it is from 2019.
We ran a keyword search and came across a report by The Indian Express of April 28, 2019, titled ‘Atishi draws flak for ‘goons’ remark, Singhvi says poor campaigning by BJP.’
According to the newspaper, while addressing a public meeting at Tikona Park, Atishi had said the SP-BSP alliance could defeat the BJP in UP, and even if their candidates had a criminal background, one should vote for them to defeat the BJP.
The newspaper also carried a full version of Atishi’s speech published by the Okhala Times YouTube channel on April 19, 2019, titled ‘Atishi Marlena at Tikona Park.’ The viral clip appears at 37:18 minutes. The AAP leader in the video appeals to vote against the BJP and vote for individuals even with questionable backgrounds to defeat BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Hence, we conclude that the viral clip of Atishi is from 2019 and is being shared with a missing context.
