Does This Photo Show Smriti Irani With 'Liquor,' Watching Bharat Jodo Yatra? No!

The original photo shows Union Minister Smriti Irani using her laptop on a table, with an empty glass beside it.

A photo showing Union Minister Smriti Irani seated outdoors with a laptop showing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi along with a glass full of golden-coloured liquid is doing the rounds on social media in an apparent attempt at taking a dig at Irani for closely watching Gandhi during Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra.

However, the photograph is morphed. In the original – uploaded by Irani during the COVID-19 pandemic – Irani's screen does not show any notable people on it, and the glass on her table appears to be empty.

CLAIM

The photograph is being shared with text which implies that Union Minister Smriti Irani is closely following Rahul Gandhi on the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Comments under these claims also poke fun at the Union Minister for sitting with a glass of liquor while observing the Yatra.

Similar posts on social media can be seen here and here.

WHAT WE FOUND OUT

Using reverse image search, we came across an article by The Times of India, dated 9 December 2020, about the Union Minister joking around with Instagram users in the comments section under a photograph.

This article carried a photo from Smriti Irani's verified Instagram account, uploaded on 8 December 2020, captioned "pandemic mornings."

We noticed some differences between this photo, and the one being shared in the viral claim.

For instance, while the photo in the claim shows Congress' Rahul Gandhi walking with a lady, the screen in the original photograph is not clearly visible. However, it does not show the image from the claim.

Moreover, the glass of 'liquor' from the viral claim is empty in this photograph.

It is also worth noting that the Bharat Jodo Yatra began on 7 September in Kerala, whereas this photo was posted in December 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clearly, the photograph showing Irani watching Rahul Gandhi on her laptop with a glass of liquor next to her is edited.

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