CLAIM
A viral video on social media claims that the public is out on the streets, marching towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence. The claim further mentions that the public is protesting against Modi for “country’s economic slowdown, increase in prices, stricter traffic rules, increased prices of petrol, diesel and gas.”
The claim along with the video reads: “देश की जनता प्रधानमंत्री आवास की तरफ निकल चुकी है देश की गिरती हुई अर्थव्यवस्था, महंगाई, ट्रेफिक जैसे कड़क नियम पेट्रोल डीजल और गेस के बढ़ते दाम को लेकर देश की जनता अब मोदीजी के खिलाफ विरोध प्रदर्शन करने के लिए निकल चुकी है!”
The video had over three lakh views and was shared over 16,000 times at the time of publishing this article.
Another video shared with the same claim had over 18,000 views and over 300 shares at the time of publishing this article.
TRUE OR FALSE?
The claim along with the video is false. While it’s true that people were marching towards the prime minister’s house, they were not protesting against economic slowdown and increase in prices.
The video shows Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members marching towards the PM house to seek his intervention to end the “partial strike” of IAS officers in Delhi.
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
On analysing the viral video, at around 0:36 seconds, we saw banners that read “LG साहब IAS की स्ट्राइक ख़तम कराओ”.
Consequently, we searched on YouTube using keywords ‘IAS strike Delhi protest PMO’ and found a video uploaded on 17 June 2018. The video is titled as ‘Massive Protest March By AAP & Delhi Residents to PMO’ was uploaded by ‘Live Reporter’.
From 3:48 minutes onward, the visuals in this YouTube video are same as that of the viral one.
We then looked for the video on the official handle of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Though we couldn't find the same visuals, but we found same banners that were there in the viral video.
For instance, the banners that read “LG साहब IAS की स्ट्राइक ख़तम कराओ” can also seen in a video that was uploaded by the official YouTube handle of AAP. The video is titled as ‘AAP Protest March To the PMO’ and was uploaded on 17 June 2018.
Further, another banner that can be seen in the viral video reads ‘Go Ahead Kejriwal, You will always find us standing behind you.’
The same banner can be seen in ABP News’ video with the title ‘AAP Members Staging Protest March To The Prime Minister's Residence In Support Of Kejriwal’
WHY WERE AAP MEMBERS PROTESTING?
According to the AAP government, officers had not been attending meetings with the ministers and not picking up their calls due to which government work was suffering. Officers had gone on a “partial strike” since the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash on 19 February 2018.
AAP had marched to the prime minister’s residence at 7 Race Course Road (now Lok Kalyan Marg) on 17 June 2018 to seek Modi’s intervention to end the impasse by directing the IAS officers in Delhi to “return to work and let the AAP government function”.
AAP’s protest march was called off after being halted by police at Parliament Street.
AAP leaders, on 18 June 2018, had said that IAS officers in New Delhi had failed to appear for several meetings called by the Delhi Government, including those about the installation of CCTV cameras, mid-day meal schemes, fighting dengue, ration distribution, and more, and urged them to resume dispensing their duties.
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