A short clip of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal speaking at an event with Lokmat banners is being shared, where Kejriwal is apparently heard speaking about corruption and economists to insinuate that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supports corruption.
In the 13-second video, Kejriwal is heard saying, "I have not seen a single economist writing about corruption ruining the country. Corruption should go on."
But we found that the video is clipped and is being shared without context. The video is taken from a speech that Kejriwal gave at an event celebrating news organisation Lokmat's 50th anniversary in Nagpur, Maharashtra on 8 May 2022.
During the address, the chief minister remarks upon economists' critique of 'freebie governance' and how it will ruin the country, noting that he is yet to see any of them writing about how corruption will ruin it instead.
CLAIM
The 13-second long video, which shows Kejriwal speaking, and a panel showing news reports of AAP party members linked to corruption, is being shared on social media to insinuate that AAP supports corruption.
An archived version of this post can be accessed here.
(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
As the video shows the logo of news organisation Lokmat on the podium as well as the background, we looked for the video on their verified YouTube channel.
Here, we found the video titled 'Arvind Kejriwal in Lokmat Golden Jubilee Celebration' that was streamed live on 8 May 2022.
We watched the full video, in which Kejriwal's address began at the 58-minute mark. He spoke about the state of education and healthcare in Delhi, and how government-run schools had surpassed the pass-rates of private schools.
He also remarked on the condition of state-run hospitals, a three-level structure for medical aid and its efficiency in making specialised healthcare affordable – free, if citizens opted for treatment in government hospitals – for the common man.
Speaking about his model of governance, he remarked upon how other political parties criticised his 'freebie' governance. Kejriwal asked the audience if there was anything wrong with children from economically weaker households getting free, quality education.
Continuing with the same theme, he noted how economists wrote about the country going to ruin if "freebie culture" kept going on, adding that he was yet to see even one of them write the same about corruption in the country. This part can be heard around an hour and 26 minutes into the full video.
"Nowadays, I see many big economists writing about how if freebies keep going on, the country will be ruined. Not a single one of them has written an article about how if corruption continues, the country will be ruined. Corruption should go on."Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal at Lokmat's conference
"How am I giving these freebies?" he continued.
"Where am I getting this money? I don't have any of my own, so where is it coming from?" he asked, stating that it had come from "ending corruption."
"The money that used to line the pockets of politicians and officials, I divide among people now. Somebody gets free electricity, free medicines..." he said.
Towards the end of his address, Kejriwal added that he had only seen these economists writing about stopping freebies and not corruption, accusing them of also benefitting from the latter.
"They have not written about stopping freebies for politicians, only for common people. That will not do," he said.
A clip of Kejriwal's speech was also shared on Aam Aadmi Party's verified Twitter account, where this viral section can be heard with its context.
Clearly, a clipped video of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal speaking at news organisation Lokmat's event was shared to insinuate that the Aam Aadmi Party supported corruption.
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