Fact Check: Viral video showing slogans for PM Modi in Congress public meeting in Gujarat is edited
The video is edited. The original video shows the public saying Zindabad for Rahul Gandhi on Thakor’s call.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 20 March 2024 3:10 PM GMT
Claim: Alpesh Thakor asks people to raise Zindabad slogans for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during a public meeting while the crowd responds with ‘Modi Modi’ chants.
Fact: The video is edited. The original video shows the public saying Zindabad for Rahul Gandhi on Thakor’s call.
Hyderabad: A video showing Alpesh Thakor, currently a BJP MLA in Gujarat, asking people to raise Zindabad slogans for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during a public meeting while the crowd responds with ‘Modi Modi’ chants is viral on social media.
“An insult to Congress in a public meeting in Ahmednagar. Alpesh Thakor asked the public to say ‘Long Live Rahul Gandhi’ but the public says ‘Modi Zindabad’ (Translated from Hindi),” wrote an X user who shared the video. Click here for the archived version.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the video was edited. We found slogans in favour of Rahul Gandhi in the original video.
We ran a relevant keyword search and came across a video of a public meeting published on the Gujarat Congress YouTube channel on October 27, 2017, titled ‘Navsarjan Janadesh Mahasammelan at Gandhinagar.’
The viral clip appears in this video at the 33:10-minute timestamp. However, it shows the crowd at the meeting shouting ‘Zindabad Rahul Gandhi’ slogans in support of Thakor’s call. Click here to see the archived version.
We also found Thakor’s speech published by the verified YouTube channel of Zee 24 Kalak on October 23, 2017, titled ‘Alpesh Thakor Addressed Navsarjan Samelan Janadesh in Gandhinagar.’ The viral clip appears after the 22-minute timestamp and shows the Zindabad slogans for Rahul Gandhi on Thakor’s call. Click here for the archived version.
According to The Indian Express and The Times of India, ahead of the 2017 Gujarat Assembly elections, OBC leader Alpesh Thakor joined the Congress Party in the presence of Rahul Gandhi during the Navsarjan Janadesh Mahasammelan rally in Gandhinagar. However, Thakor quit Congress and joined the BJP, ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He is currently a member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly from Gandhinagar South.
