Delhi MLA Manjinder S Sirsa from NDA-affiliated Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) tweeted a photograph of a lady holding former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in an embrace from behind and kissing him on his cheek, captioning the image as – “the hero of the Indian National Congress”. Juxtaposed with Nehru’s image, he posted what looks like an e-paper clip in admiration of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and termed him “the real hero of India.”
The Lady Is Nehru’s Niece Nayantara Sehgal
In the picture tweeted by Sirsa, Nehru is being given a kiss by his niece Nayantara Sehgal on his arrival at London airport in 1955.
The woman on their right is Sehgal’s mother, Vijaylakshmi Pandit, who was the High Commissioner to the UK at that time. Alt News had debunked this image last year as well, when BJP IT Cell Head Amit Malviya also shared the photograph to malign Nehru.
A video of Nehru’s arrival posted by vintage television company British Pathé on their YouTube channel provides a clearer context. The peck can be seen at the 27th second of the clip.
India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal has often been targetted on social media. The attempt at character assassination not only takes place with the help of false narratives but also fake images.
Image of an Actor Playing Nehru Shared as Actual Image of Former PM
Recently, another purported photograph of Jawaharlal Nehru was doing rounds on social media, attempting to show him intimate with a woman. From a Facebook group, We Support PM Modi, this image was circulated with the caption – “आजादी की लड़ाई लड़ते नेहरु चाचा (Chacha Nehru fighting the battle of Independence).” It was shared over 600 times.
This image is a shot from a play ‘Drawing the Line’ and the man in the photograph is not Nehru but theatre actor Silas Carson with actress Lucy Black who played the role of Edwina Mountbatten. Details about the play are available on the website of London’s Hampstead Theatre.
The country’s first Prime Minister is one of the favourite targets of social media’s right-wing machinery. Decades after his death, Nehru’s photographs are not only shared with false narratives, but often photoshopped to propagate his image as an immoral man.
Watch the following Alt News video for more such examples where misleading and photoshopped images were used to target Jawaharlal Nehru.
(This article has been published in arrangement with Alt News)
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