The dates of the Lok Sabha elections have been announced in recent days. Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases across the country. The Chief Election Commissioner has given strict instructions to those spreading fake news and has also appealed to people to verify whether something is true or not before sharing it on social media. Meanwhile, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate claimed with full confidence during a program on India Today channel on March 22, 2024, with journalist Rajdeep Sardesai that she has never spread fake news to date. Neither has she ever promoted misleading news nor shared any edited videos on social media. Today, We will analyze these claims in our report.
At 2 minutes 20 seconds in India Today’s video, Rajdeep Sardesai asked the question, can you cross your heart and say that you have never edited the clip of Prime Minister Modi? On this, Supriya Shrinate says, ‘I can cross my heart on national TV and tell you I have never been called out for fake news, I have never edited a clip, I have never ever manipulated the Prime Minister’s speech. I cross my hand on my heart and say as the head of Congress social media and digital platform, I have never ever done that, I have never used fake news. The BJP weaponizes fake news, it demeans people, it assassinates reputations.’
2024 battlefield a level playing field? Watch this political debate between @SupriyaShrinate and @Shehzad_Ind on #PoliticalRumble: https://t.co/5zoe3Jp0KW#AAP #ArvindKejriwal #LiquorPolicyScam #NewsToday #PoliticalRumble | @sardesairajdeep pic.twitter.com/ma0mwpPLdj
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) March 22, 2024
| Serial No | Claim | Fact |
| 1. Claim that PM Modi was waving at clouds while sitting in an aircraft is misleading | PM Modi flying the Tejas aircraft waved at the clouds. | Another pilot was flying the plane along with PM Modi’s plane, seeing whom the PM waved his hand. |
| 2. Guard of honor was not given to Agniveer Amritpal because he committed suicide | Agniveer soldier Amritpal Singh was not given the guard of honor. | In the event of a soldier dying due to suicide or self-inflicted injury, the soldier is given due honours regardless of the mode of entry into the army. Such cases are not entitled to a military funeral as per the 1967 Army order. |
| 3. Himanta Biswa didn’t insult Indian army | Himanta Biswa said Indian army will not be able to solve anything in Manipur. | Biswa had said that the army can bring a temporary solution because a permanent solution can only come from the heart, not bullets. The Assam CM was appealing to the people of Manipur for goodwill and peace. |
| 4. Amit Shah didn’t say that BJP built the first IIT-AIIMS | Amit Shah claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was the first party to successfully build prestigious colleges like IIT, IIIT, NIT, IIM and AIIMS in India. | Amit Shah gave the speech in the context of Chhattisgarh, which was edited and presented in the wrong context by Congress. |
| 5. Hema Malini’s video is edited | BJP MP Hema Malini said Opposition MPs raise questions, so they were suspended. | The viral is edited. |
| 6. Kanhaiya Lal’s murderers were not BJP workers | Killers of Kanhaiyalal are BJP workers. | Murderer Riyaz was not associated with the BJP. |
| 7. Slogans of Pakistan Zindabad raised the Karnataka Assembly | Not Pakistan Zindabad but Nasir Saab Zindabad that was raised. | Based on the FSL report released by the Congress government in Karnataka, it was proved that supporters of the Congress candidate in the Karnataka Assembly had raised slogans of Pakistan Zindabad. |
| 8. In viral video, Nitin Gadkari was talking about urbanization | Nitin Gadkari said, villages, poor, labourers, farmers, all are unhappy in Modi government. | Nitin Gadkari was talking about urbanisation. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari condemned the fake news spread by the Congress party. |
| 9. Claim about only 3 out of 90 Central Govt Secretaries come from OBC category is misleading | The government is run by 90 officers out of which only 3 are from OBC category. | To become a Secretary in the Central Government, 15-25 years of experience is required. OBC officers working before 1994 have now been placed in the General category. |
| 10. Claim about Chinese diplomats visit the RSS headquarters in Nagpur is misleading | Chinese diplomats had visited the RSS headquarters in Nagpur. | The Chinese Hindi scholars who had gone to Nagpur as tourists and they had gone to visit Smriti Mandir, not the RSS headquarters. |
| 11. NDTV survey showing Congress winning Telangana is fake | A survey conducted by NDTV shows Congress winning Telangana. | According to NDTV, the channel had not conducted a survey for the Telangana assembly elections. |
| 12. No alliance between BJP and SDPI | BJP had supported SDPI, which is a part of PFI, in the Karnataka Panchayat elections. | The Panchayat elections were not fought on party symbols and secondly Fayaz and Muhammad had personally supported the SDPI candidate. Who were later suspended. |
| 13. Claim about debt increased three times under Modi government is misleading | The debt has increased three times under the Modi government and this debt is being taken for the rich. | India’s debt is 83% of its GDP, while Japan’s exceeds 200%. Countries like the US, Italy, France, and Singapore also have debts over 100% of their GDP. Most of India’s loans under the Modi government were taken during the Covid period to provide free vaccines and ration to 80 crore people. |
| 14. PM Modi didn’t insult Indian flag | PM Modi cleaning his face with a tricolor scarf. | PM ​​Modi did not carry the tricolour but a scarf of the same color. |
| 15. Video of Amit Shah admitting to rafale deal scam is edited | Amit Shah acknowledged the existence of a scam in the Rafale deal. | During the report card of Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s government in Bhopal, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had commented on the scams of the Congress. |
| 16. Video of Meenakshi Lekhi threatening ED is edited | Meenakshi Lekhi threatened ED. | Meenakshi Lekhi had joked about the ED, but the Congress spokesperson edited the video. |
| 17. Removing Maulana Azad’s name from NCERT’s book is misleading | The BJP government has removed Maulana Azad’s name from NCERT books. | Maulana Azad’s name wasn’t mentioned in the previous edition of the books. |
| 18. Claim about Congress got 5 seats in Tripura assembly elections is misleading | In the Tripura assembly elections that Congress has got 5 seats in the Tripura assembly elections. | The Congress party had won only 3 seats in the Tripura assembly elections. |
| 19. PM Modi didn’t give separate figures on tap connections in Parliament | For the Jal Jivan Mission, the PM cited 8 crore tap connections in the Lok Sabha and 11 crore in the Rajya Sabha a day later. | There is no discrepancy in the figures for the PM’s Tap Water Scheme between the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. In the Rajya Sabha, PM Modi clarified that tap connections increased from 3 crore to 11 crore, adding 8 crore connections. |
| 20. Claim about IIMC Mizoram was formed during the Congress govt is misleading | IIMC Mizoram was constructed during the Congress government, but PM Modi falsely claims it was built during the BJP government. | IIMC Aizawl had just a temporary building constructed by the Congress-UPA government in 2011. The work of building a permanent campus and hostel started in 2015 during the Narendra Modi government. |
| 21. Claim about Poonam Agarwal purchased bond in 2018 and EC’s website displaying year 2020 is misleading | Leftist journalist Poonam Agarwal purchased the bond in 2018, but the Election Commission’s website indicates the year as 2020. | Poonam Aggarwal actually bought electoral bonds in 2020, not 2018. She later apologized for the mistake, attributing it to the pandemic and her poor memory. |
| 22. Pramod Krishnam remark about ending reservation is old | Acharya Pramod Krishnan, a close aide of Modi, called for the abolition of reservations. | Pramod Krishnam’s statement on reservation is old, he gave this statement when he was in the Congress party. He has not joined BJP after being expelled from the Congress party. |
| 23. PM Modi didn’t promise 2 crore job | PM Modi had promised to give 2 crore jobs annually. | The claim is false. |
| 24. People abusing BJP after seeing its campaign vehicle is edited | People abused BJP after seeing its campaign vehicle. | The video is from the Chhattisgarh assembly elections in 2023. In this video, the driver of the campaign vehicle spoke in favor of both BJP and Congress. |
| 25. BJP MP Sumitra Mahajan’s video is edited | Sumitra Mahajan said calls are coming from people saying we will not vote for BJP. | Sumitra Mahajan shared some opinions regarding the withdrawal of nomination papers by the Congress candidate from Indore and also discussed the BJP’s chances of winning. |
| 26. Claim about BJP worker cleansing temple after Akhilesh Yadav performed puja is misleading | Akhilesh Yadav went to worship in a temple. After he left the temple, BJP leaders washed the temple with Ganga water. | The temple was not cleaned because of Akhilesh Yadav. In fact, many people from the Muslim community along with Akhilesh had entered the temple wearing shoes and slippers, that is why the temple was washed. |
| 27. Not CM Yogi’s face but screen was blurred due to copyright issues | CM Yogi’s face was blurred on the instructions of PM Modi. | A channel named ‘Hindi Khabar’ had blurred the right side of its screen, as CM Yogi Adityanath is coming in a blurred frame, due to which his face appears blurred. |
| 28. Video of Yogi Adityanath not saying Namaste to PM Modi is edited | Yogi Adityanath did not greet PM Modi and Amit Shah with a namaste. | The claim is false and the video is edited. |
| 29. Congress party has shared an edited video regarding Modi not going to college | PM Modi admitted that he has not seen a college. | The video is edited. |
| 30. Building of Delhi airport which collapsed was not inaugurated by PM Modi | A part of Delhi terminal inaugurated by PM Modi collapsed. | The building that collapsed at Delhi airport was not inaugurated by PM Modi. The part of the roof that collapsed was built in 2009. |
| 31. Video of PM Modi’s statement about fighting against the poor is edited | PM Modi said that the coming 5 years are of a decisive battle against the poor | PM Modi had immediately corrected his statement, he said that the coming 5 years are decisive years in the fight of the poor against poverty. |
| 32. Video of PM Modi saying humara muh kaala is edited | PM Modi said ‘Humara Muh Kala.’ | PM used the word ‘Muh kala’ after which he corrected it by saying ‘Mukabla’. |
| 33. Claim about Vinesh Phogat forced to play in 50 kg category is false | Vinesh wanted to fight in the 53kg category in the Paris Olympics, but she was forced to play in the 50kg category. | Vinesh Phogat competed in both the 50kg and 53kg categories during her Olympic qualifiers for Paris 2024. She lost in the 53kg but won in the 50kg, leading to her selection for the 50kg category. |
| 34. Claim about Modi government giving maximum funds to Gujarat for Olympics is misleading | Modi government gives maximum funds to Gujarat for Olympics. | Gujarat is receiving more funds under the Khelo India scheme due to its relatively underdeveloped sports infrastructure compared to other states, as the scheme aims to strengthen sports facilities and prepare players for international competitions. |
| 35. BJP did not make a young woman dance on stage in WB to demand justice for female doctor | The BJP made a young woman dance on stage in WB to demand justice for female doctor. | The dance program was organized by the Manasa & Behula Lakshminder Mela committee, which has a 15-year tradition of stage performances and was not associated with the BJP. Banners showed solidarity with a recent rape incident before regular performances continued. |
| 36. RSS did not oppose caste census | The RSS has said that the caste census is a threat to the unity and integrity of the society. | The RSS has supported the caste census and suggested that it should be done for welfare purposes rather than electoral purposes. |
| 37.Claim that Madhavi Puri Buch was receiving salary from ICICI even after joining SEBI is false | Madhabi Puri Buch continued to receive salary from ICICI even after joining SEBI. | SEBI Chairman Madhabi Puri Buch has not drawn a salary from ICICI Bank since her retirement on October 31, 2013. During her tenure, she received salary, retirement benefits, bonuses, and ESOPs. |
| 38. Out of context remarks from PM Modi speeches were pulled out | PM Modi portrayed India in a negative light on a global platform. | The clips were taken out of context and misrepresented the actual content of his speeches. |
| 39. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat did not make any statement against PM Modi | Mohan Bhagwat targeted PM Modi in his remark and said “You are god or not, let people decide.” | Mohan Bhagwat did not make a statement against PM Modi. While honoring Shankar Dinkar Kane on his birth centenary, Bhagwat emphasized that we should not claim to be God. |
| 40. PM Modi’s statement on Hindu-Muslim in India is misleading | PM Modi remarked that Muslims worldwide are evolving, but in India, people remain focused on Hindu-Muslim divisions. | PM Modi’s statement is misleading and old. Actually he had said that Muslim society is changing all over the world. |
| 41. Claim about Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa was caught in a hotel with a Russian woman is fake | Rajasthan Deputy CM Prem Chand Bairwa was caught with a Russian woman in a hotel in Delhi. | There is no news in the credible mainstream media related to the newspaper cutting. |
| 42. PM Modi’s statement about the meeting between Jamshed Tata and Swami Vivekananda is not wrong | Swami Vivekananda was five years old in 1868 when Jamshed Tata set up first industry in India. | Jamshedji Tata and Swami Vivekananda met in 1893 while traveling together on a ship from Japan to Chicago. At that time, the 30-year-old Vivekananda gave the 54-year-old Jamshedji Tata, who was 24 years his senior, the idea of helping the poor and supporting Indians. |
| 43. Amit Shah did not insult Adivasi leader Champai Soren | Amit Shah insulted Champai Soren and other Adivasi leaders at Ghatshila rally. | The video is edited. The portion where Amit Shah addresses Champai Soren and other leaders with “ji” has been removed. |
| 44. Amit Shah did not insult Ambedkar | Amit Shah insulted Baba Saheb Ambedkar in his Rajya Sabha speech. | The video is edited. Amit Shah had said in the Rajya Sabha that taking Ambedkar’s name is a good thing, but it is equally important to understand and implement his ideology and his contribution. He also mentioned the reasons for Ambedkar’s resignation from the cabinet. |
Also Read: Unraveling the Role of Mohammed Zubair – Fact Checker or Fake News Peddler?
