Visuals of PM Modi Accepting Upside-Down Tagore Art Are Clipped, Misleading
A longer version of the video on PM Modi's YouTube channel shows people turning Tagore's portrait right side up.
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Visuals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi accepting upside-down artwork depicting Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore are being widely shared on social media.
The claim: The visuals are being shared to take a dig at PM Modi, who was campaigning for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal.
Who shared it?: All India Trinamool Congress' (TMC) official X (formerly Twitter) account shared a video of the incident. The party's MP Sagarika Ghose, too, shared a photo of the prime minister holding the artwork upside down.
TMC's handle and leaders shared these visuals.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
How did we find out the truth?: We went to PM Modi's verified YouTube channel to look for visuals of his recent rallies in West Bengal.
This led us to a video of his campaign speech in West Bengal's Barrackpore, streamed live on 13 May.
At the 2:45-minute mark in this video, the prime minister can be seen standing up to receive the artwork.
When he is first handed Tagore's portrait, it is upside-down, as claimed.
However, other people sharing the stage with PM Modi quickly rectify the error, and turn the portrait the right side up.
Conclusion: A clipped video and an out-of-context screenshot of PM Modi holding art depicting Rabindranath Tagore upside-down is being shared on social media to take a dig at the leader.
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