Fact-Check: Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde Did Not Consume Mutton During Navratri

The original video shows Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde enjoying a vegetarian Saoji meal on Ram Navami.

The photo shows Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and Kamiya Jani having a vegetarian meal.

(Source: Facebook/Altered by The Quint)

A photograph showing Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde having a meal with journalist Kamiya Jani is being shared on social media, where users have claimed that it shows him consuming mutton on Ram Navami.

An archive of this post can be seen here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

(Archives of more posts sharing this claim can be seen here and here.)

Is it true?: No. The original video shows Shinde consuming a vegetarian meal, comprising of dishes from Maharashtra's Saoji cuisine.

How did we find out the truth?: We identified the woman in the photo as Curly Tales' founder and editor-in-chief Kamiya Jani.

• Taking a cue from this, we looked for similar visuals on Curly Tales' social media accounts, which led us to a YouTube short published on 18 April 2019.

• The clip was was titled 'I Enjoyed A Very Hearty Veg Saoji Meal With Maharashtra's Cm Eknath Shinde'.

• The video mentioned that it was taken in a town called Umred in Maharashtra, where local women prepared a "Special Veg Saoji Meal" on Ram Navami.

When asked about what was on his plate, Shinde listed a few vegetarian dishes while pointing at them.

"This is baingan ka bharta, this is baingan sabzi, this one is patodi – it is famous here – you mix it with this and eat it. This is called vadi."

• Shinde listed two dishes made of brinjal, a dish called patodi which consists of a gravy made with coconuts and onions, consumed with vadi, a small cake made with steamed gram flour.

• Jani had shared the same clip on her verified Instagram account, in collaboration with Shinde's account.

Conclusion: A photo of Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde consuming a meal is being shared to falsely claimed that he consumed meat on Ram Navami.

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