A video of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge talking about the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) "Ab ki baar, 400 paar" [This time around, we will cross 400 seats] slogan is being shared on social media.
The claim: The video is being shared to imply that Kharge, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, agreed with the BJP's slogan about securing more than 400 out of 545 seats in the Lok Sabha in the upcoming elections.
Who shared the video?: Union Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, BJP Uttar Pradesh's official X (formerly Twitter) account, and BJP Punjab's general secretary Parminder Singh Brar shared the video, among others.
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Union Minister Smriti Irani shared the video.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
The truth: The video has been clipped to mislead viewers.
After bringing up BJP's slogan, Kharge's speech was interrupted by Leader of the House Piyush Goyal and Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankar.
When he spoke again, Kharge addressed the Parliament and said that the BJP would not win "even a 100" seats in the upcoming elections.
How did we find out?: Using relevant keywords, we looked for news reports on Kharge's speech.
This led us to a video on Hindustan Times' verified YouTube channel, where a part of the viral clip was shared, titled 'Modi Ka Aashirwad': PM Laughs As Kharge Taunts BJP MPs In Rajya Sabha, Says 'Abki Baar 400 Par...'
It mentioned that the incident happened on 1 February in the Rajya Sabha.
Taking a cue from this, we looked for the full version of Kharge's speech or response on 1 February.
We came across the full video on Sansad TV's verified YouTube channel, where the part concerning this claim starts at the 45:17-minute mark.
The topic started with Kharge speaking about the BJP's claims about women's representation.
"There is always talk about reservation for OBC and women, they say they will give 50 percent reservation. So, give it," Kharge said.
Referring to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) hearing about the Women's Reservation Bill at the Supreme Court, he said, "the Supreme Court gave its verdict immediately. Then why did you file a counter affidavit? You should have accepted it."
"You have such a majority (in the Parliament)... It has been 330, 334 seats. Now you talk about crossing 400 seats. Let them go and fight to be elected," Kharge says, before being cut off by cheering in the Parliament.
"We have fought as MLAs and MPs, these people have come here because of Modiji's favour to sit here and clap. All of them have come here with Modiji's blessing. After coming here with his blessing, all they do is thump tables," Kharge said, talking about BJP MPs in attendance.
"I have to say, Kharge ji has truly spoken the truth today, and nothing but the truth! He has proved it!", Leader of the House and Union Minister Piyush Goyal quipped
Remarking on the parliamentarians' response to Kharge's statement, Dhankar said that "never has a Leader of Opposition been so applauded, it is a record."
After the interruptions, Kharge noted the response and said that he understood the "praise" for his statement.
"They are just beating their own drum with "400 paar, 400 paar." Brother, if you want to have more than 400 seats, why aren't you doing this (what they talk about). You won't be able to cross even a 100 seats. India is strong, not even a 100."Congress President and Leader of the Oppposition Mallikarjun Kharge
Conclusion: An edited video of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is. being shared to claim that he spoke in support of BJP's "400 paar" slogan.
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