A 10-second clip of Congress leader Rashid Alvi has been shared by several social media users, including members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in which he can be heard saying that those who chant 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans are not seers, but demons.
However, we found that the viral video is a clipped version of the original one. Alvi, who was speaking at the Kalki Mahotsav in Uttar Pradesh, quoted an instance from the Ramayana to say that not everyone who chants 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans is a seer.
CLAIM
The claim along with the video reads: "सलमान ख़ुर्शीद के बाद अब कांग्रेस के नेता राशिद अल्वी जय श्री राम कहने वालों को निशाचर (राक्षस) बता रहे हैं। राम भक्तों के प्रति कांग्रेस के विचारों में कितना ज़हर घुला हुआ है। (sic)"
(Translated: After Salman Khurshid, now Congress leader Rashid Alvi is calling those who chant 'Jai Shri Ram' as demons. How much poison is mixed in the thoughts of the Congress towards the devotees of Ram.)
An archived version of this claim can be seen here.
(Source: Twitter/ Screenshot)
Several social media users, including BJP IT Cell Head Amit Malviya, BJP Haryana leader Arun Yadav, and journalist Amish Devgan, shared the video and the archived version of the tweets can be seen here, here, here, and here.
Facebook users also shared the video with similar claims and the archived version of the posts can be seen here and here.
WHAT WE FOUND
Using InVID, we divided the video into multiple keyframes and ran a Google reverse image search on them. This led us to a YouTube video uploaded by ABP News on 12 November wherein Alvi can be heard addressing a public gathering at the Kalki Mahotsav in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal.
At 45 seconds in the 05:26 minute-long video, he spoke about a particular instance from Ramayana and said that when Lord Lakshman was unwell, Lord Hanuman was asked to get 'Sanjeevani booti' before sunrise.
"On the other hand, Ravana sends a demon in disguise of a saint since he had to waste time so that Sanjeevani booti doesn't reach before sunrise. Lord Hanuman was climbing up and the demon sitting down was chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans...Since Lord Hanuman was a devotee, he comes down and sits near the demon. The demon tells Lord Hanuman to take a bath in Mansarovar as one cannot chant 'Jai Shri Ram' without taking a bath," Alvi said.
He then goes on to narrate how a crocodile, who was an apsara but had been cursed, held Lord Hanuman's legs and changed back to being an apsara.
"The apsara questions Lord Hanuman as to why he is wasting his time and says that you have to return with Sanjeevani booti before sunrise and the one sitting in front of you who is chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' is not a seer but a demon."Congress leader Rashid Alvi
VIRAL VIDEO IS A CLIPPED ONE
From 02:48 minutes onwards, Alvi can be heard making the statement as in the viral video.
"Even today, several people raise 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans, all of them are not seers, they are demons. We have to be careful," he added.
We also came across a YouTube video streamed live on 11 November in which he can be heard quoting the instance from Ramayana from 08:52 minutes onwards.
At 08:00 minutes he talks about how even he wants that India should have 'Ram Rajya' and that it will have no place for hatred.
"Today, citizens of the country are led astray by some people who chant 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans. We have to be careful of such people," he can be heard saying.
Further, a tweet shared by 'Jan Ki Baat' carried a clarification made by Rashid Alvi who said, "I didn't say that every person who chants 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan is a demon. I said that every man who chants 'Jai Shri Ram' is not a seer. "
Clearly, a clipped video of Congress leader Rashid Alvi was shared to claim that he said that every person who chants 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans is a demon.
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