An image which shows former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray bowing down in front of Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is being widely shared on the internet.
The claim: A fan account carrying Lok Sabha MP Kangana Ranaut's name shared the image with a caption that said, "This greed for a chair. What all does it not make a person do?."
An archive of the post can be found here.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
Is the image real?: No, the image has been altered to show Thackeray bowing down in front of Gandhi. The original one shows both of them standing and posing for a picture.
What led us to the truth?: We performed a Google Lens search on the viral image and found a set of images published on the official Instagram handle of Times Now.
The post was shared on 7 August and showed Thackeray standing next to Gandhi, who is seen carrying a bouquet in his hands.
Its caption said, "Former Maharashtra CM and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray along with his son Aaditya Thackeray met Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi and Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi."
The source of the images were attributed to All India Congress Committee (AICC).
Team WebQoof found the same image uploaded on the official website of Indian National Congress. This image, along with others, were shared on 7 August.
It was clear that Thackeray was seen wearing a different coloured attire as compared to what was spotted in the viral image.
The set of images was uploaded on 7 August.
(Source: INC/Screenshot)
Comparing visuals: We compared the viral image to the one uploaded on the Congress party's website and found that the former was edited to show Thackeray bowing down.
The viral image was edited.
(Source: INC/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)
Where is Thackeray's image from?: We isolated Thackeray's photo and performed a reverse image search on it. This directed us to a report published on Rediff.
The image was attributed to ANI and was captioned, "Uddhav Thackeray meets Gita Devi and Gobind Ram Kejriwal, Arvind Kejriwal's parents."
The report was published on 9 August.
(Source: Rediff/Screenshot)
The same image was also published on the official X handle of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) on 8 August.
Conclusion: It is clear that this image has been edited to mislead the viewers.
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