Amid the ongoing election season, social media is abuzz with misinformation about polls and politicians. With leaders making false claims, here are a few pieces of 'fake news' that we debunked this week.
1. Did Ex-PM Singh Say Muslims Have ‘First Right’ to Wealth as PM Modi Claimed?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech in Rajasthan, campaigned for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), targeting the Congress party's manifesto and past policies.
In his speech, he said that when Congress was in power, "they said that Muslims had the 'first right' to the nation's wealth." He also claimed that this was said by former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in a speech.
He also claimed that the Congress manifesto talked about surveying and redistributing wealth and/or gold which would be redistributed wealth to "those with more children."
However, the PM's claims are false.
On former PM Singh's speech: We looked at a news report by the Times of India which mentioned that in Singh's speech, he said that "plans for minorities, especially Muslims, must have the first claim on resources so that the benefits of development reach them equitably."
We also found an archived version of the former PM's speech in which spoke about about "collective priorities," on the need to develop several sectors – like agriculture, irrigation, water resources, health, education and others.
He went onto say that the mentioned sectors needed development, and schemes for the upliftment of SC/STs, other backward classes, minorities, and women and children.
Singh added that the government will have to devise "innovative plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably in the fruits of development. They must have the first claim on resources," Singh said.
Congress Manifesto: It makes several statements regarding income inequality, India's wealth, people belonging to economically weak sections, and the allocation of government land and resources.
Points mentioned included empowering minorities - by getting institutional credit from banks without discrimination, a caste-based census in order to undertaken affirmative action, authority to monitor distribution of government land among the poor.
It also mentioned about welfare of the poor to be the first charge on all government resources and making policy changes to address the growing income inequality.
The Congress' manifesto does not mention the surveying of gold owned by Indian women, nor does it propose redistributing the 'surveyed wealth' among 'Muslims', 'infiltrators', or 'those with more children'.
Read the full report here.
2. Clipped Video of Rahul Gandhi’s Speech in Bihar Shared With False Claims
A video of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi speaking at a public rally is being shared on social media platforms.
Gandhi can be heard saying, "Our youth that is roaming around the streets, using Instagram and Facebook, their bank accounts will be credited with, yearly with one lakh rupees and 8,500 rupees a month."
However, the viral video of Rahul Gandhi video is clipped.
In the longer version of his speech, Gandhi was speaking about the 'Right to Apprenticeship' scheme of the Congress which is mentioned in its 2024 Lok Sabha election manifesto.
The program will offer a one-year apprenticeship with a private or public sector company to every individual holding a diploma or college degree and under the age of 25. During this period, participants will receive an annual stipend of one lakh rupees.
Read our fact-check here.
3. No, Chief Electoral Officer of Gujarat Didn't 'Demonstrate EVM Scam' Amid Polls
A video showing individuals illustrating the malfunctioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) used in Indian elections has gone viral.
According to the claim, it shows the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Gujarat demonstrating the functioning of EVMs. The video features a person claiming that due to these defective EVMs, votes intended for the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) were automatically given to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
However, the claim is false. This video shows members of EVM Hatao Sanyukt Morcha demonstrating a scam related to EVMs. This does not show the CEO of Gujarat.
The Quint spoke to Hijam Rajendra Singha, the founder of the EVM Hatao Sanyukt Morcha. He told us that the footage was captured in Delhi in February 2024, not in Gujarat.
"It shows Atul Patel, an engineer associated with us. It does not show the CEO of Gujarat," he said.
Read our story here.
4. Amit Shah's Old Comment on Removal of Muslim Reservations Peddled As Recent Ones
A post went viral on social media platforms with the claim that Union Home Minister and Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leader Amit Shah said that their party will remove "4% Muslim reservation & will distribute it among the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. (sic)"
The post also read that the BJP will do justice to SC, ST and OBCs community.
5. This Video of BJP Leader Getting Thrashed in Tamil Nadu Is Old and Lacks Context
A video showing a group of individuals assaulting a man is circulating with the claim that it show an incident involving Rajesh Biju, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, who was reportedly attacked outside his residence in Tamil Nadu.
However, the viral video is old and lacks proper context about the incident. It dates back to July 2023, when a fight between two factions of the BJP took place in Nanganallur, Tamil Nadu.
Read our story here.
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