Fact Check: Was BJP Annamalai’s breakdown in public due to poor performance in TN polls?
The 32-second video showing BJP leader Annamalai becoming emotional while the crowd hails him with ‘Jai Sree Ram’ and ‘Bharat Matha ki Jai’ chants is being shared widely.
By Sibahathulla Sakib Published on 11 Jun 2024 8:15 PM IST
Claim: The video shows BJP chief Annamalai getting emotional due to the party's poor performance in the 2024 Tamil Nadu elections.
Fact: The claim is false. The video is from a public event in April. The election results were announced in June.
Hyderabad: A video of Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai has gone viral on social media, with claims that he broke down emotionally after the BJP’s poor performance in the 2024 Tamil Nadu Lok Sabha elections.
The 32-second video showing BJP leader Annamalai becoming emotional while the crowd hails him with ‘Jai Sree Ram’ and ‘Bharat Matha ki Jai’ chants is being shared widely.
An X user shared the video with the caption, “Dear @annamalai_k Ji, Stay strong: Losing an election is never easy, especially when you've given it your all. But I want you to know that your dedication and passion have not gone unnoticed! (sic)” (Archive)
A similar video can be seen here. (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false as the event was held even before the voting day in Tamil Nadu.
A reverse image search led us to an extended video published by Tamil news outlet Puthiya Thalaimurai TV on April 17, 2024. It was titled ‘Annamalai spoke on the stage with tears in his eyes.’
The viral clip appeared in the extended version from 14:39 to 15:04 minutes and from 16:40 to 16:50 minutes.
Additionally, Dinamalar reported the incident with the headline ‘Disturbed Annamalai on the stage: Meltdown on the last day of campaigning,’ confirming that the video was from a pre-voting event. The news report stated that Annamalai, the president of Tamil Nadu’s BJP, took part in a program held at an old age home in Kasthuri Nayakkan Palayam, Coimbatore.
Tamil Nadu went for the polling on April 19 after a highly intense public campaign which ended on April 17. Since the video was published on April 17 and the election results were announced on June 4, the viral video doesn’t show Annalmalai reacting to the election results in the State.
Hence, the claim that Annamalai broke down after the BJP’s poor election results in Tamil Nadu is false. The video shows him getting emotional before the election while talking to the elderly during his campaign.
