CLAIM
A screenshot of Union Minister Smriti Irani – on what appears to be a news channel – with a message that says she will end her life if the prime minister loses, has been doing the rounds on social media.
The post reads: अगर प्रधानमंत्री हारे तो मैं आत्महत्या कर लुंगी - स्मृति ईरानी
(Translated: If the prime minister loses then I will end my life - Smriti Irani)
This was shared by the verified Twitter Handle of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Sevadal, but has since been archived.
Avinash Das, the writer-director of Anaarkali of Aarah, also tweeted this:
In addition to this, India Resists, a Facebook page also shared this image.
TRUE OR FALSE?
The post is fake. Smriti Irani’s remarks are something that the media keeps a track of diligently. But a simple google search throws up no such instance when Irani made such a statement.
In February, Irani had said she would “quit politics” if Prime Minister Narendra Modi decides to “hang his boots”, but nowhere did she ever make any statement about ending her life as claimed by the viral message.
“The day ‘pradhan sevak’ Narendra Modi decides to hang his boots, I will also leave Indian politics,” she had said while speaking at the Words Count festival in Pune.
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
A news package produced by ABP News on 13 March 2019, which resembles the screenshot doing the rounds, has been doctored to spread the false information.
This is the original frame in the news package where Smriti Irani was addressing the media about Rahul Gandhi, and it mentions no such remark made by Irani.
Below is the viral screenshot which resembles ABP News’ clip.
If we closely analyse the image in the viral message, we can clearly see the difference in the red shade put behind the text.
(With inputs from SM Hoax Slayer)
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