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Promotional video shot in Puerto Rico is falsely shared as a UFO caught on camera - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 14, 2021
A video accompanied by a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) was caught on camera. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of a UFO caught on camera.
Fact: The video was a promotional video (CGI) made in Puerto Rico to help promote a free book. The entire video was a single shot made on a cell phone camera by ‘Gilbert’ and the CGI elements were added later with Blender 3D software. Recently, the Pentagon had confirmed about the authenticity of some videos which have been circulating online. However, the video in the post is not one of them. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the screenshots of the video, a longer YouTube video with the same visuals was found. The YouTube video was uploaded on 23 December 2013 with the title, “UFO/OVNI ATTACK PUERTO RICO 2013 HD”. According to the description of the YouTube video, the video was a “promotional video (CGI) made to help Amaury promote his free book.”
At 1:39 timestamp, the YouTube video was clipped to make the viral video. However, in the end, it was mentioned in the video itself that it was a promotional video and not a real event. And people involved in the making of the video were also thanked at the end credits. Even in the pinned comment made by ‘Gilbert’, he/she explained that the video was not real. According to the comment, the entire video was a single shot made on a cell phone camera, and that the CGI elements were added later with Blender 3D software.
Recently, a leaked video had shown a UFO disappear into the water. The Pentagon had confirmed these images of UFOs are part of ongoing investigations. UFOs were rebranded by the US government as ‘UAPs’ or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena and the Pentagon confirmed the authenticity of some videos which have been circulating online. However, the video in the post is not one of them.
To sum it up, a 2013 promotional video shot in Puerto Rico is falsely shared as a UFO caught on camera.
Update (SEPTEMBER 17, 2021):
Factly contacted Gilberto Aguilar, the person who uploaded the longer video on his YouTube channel in 2013, named ‘ClientesCD’. He confirmed to us via Facebook that the video is not a real video, and stated ‘I made this video with Amaury. The video says clearly at the end that it is not a real video. It is a promotional video for Amaury’s free downloadable e-book, about his REAL E.T. encounter in the 80’s. His experience was a very important case here in Puerto Rico because he has many witnesses and photographic evidence of the event.’

created: September 14, 2021


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Proportion of derailments in total train accidents
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 23, 2017
While the number of Train Accidents has significantly reduced in the last 14 years, derailments have gone up in the last few years. The proportion of derailments in the total accidents was 75% in 2016-17, the highest in 14 years.

source: news-factly

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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Proposition of Assam government in court seeking verification of citizenship of evacuees is misconstrued as government’s order/law - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 6, 2022
A social media post making claims related to the Assam government’s eviction drive carried out in September 2021, as part of its crackdown on illegal encroachments, is being widely shared. The post claims that the Assam government has decided to provide compensation for those evacuees, who prove their citizenship and those who fail to do so would be sent back to their country. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Assam government order/law – To provide compensation for those evacuees, who prove their citizenship.
Fact: A PIL was filed by Congress leader in Guwahati High court seeking a rehabilitation policy for those evacuated by the Assam government in September 2021. The Assam government filed a counter affidavit in the court saying it would provide rehabilitation only to names that appear in the National Register of Citizens. This proposition of the government is misconstrued as an order/law. However, this is not the final stand, as the court proceedings are still underway, and the final judgement is not yet delivered. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
As part of a crackdown on illegal encroachments, the Assam government in September 2021, had carried out a mass eviction drive in the Darrang district. During one such drive in Dholpur village of the district, violence broke out between the police and the protesters resisting the drive, in which two people passed away.
Following the incident, the Leader of the Opposition in the Assam assembly, Debabrata Saikia, has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Guwahati High Court seeking a status quo. Among others, the PIL also sought a rehabilitation policy.
In response to this, the Assam government has filed an affidavit, saying that it has earmarked 134 hectares for relocation of the evicted families, provided their names appear in the National Register of Citizens, besides other sets of criteria.
As reported by the news agencies, the Assam government in the affidavit has stated that it would not provide any compensation as the evictees are encroachers.
This stand of the Assam government mentioned in the counter affidavit is misconstrued as the government’s order/law regarding the rehabilitation of the evictees. However, this is just government’s proposition and not the final stand as the court did not endorse this stand. The court hearings related to the PIL are still underway and it did not pronounce any final judgement in this regard.
The latest hearing of the court related to the PIL was held on 17 March 2022, following which, the court provided the Assam government time to file an affidavit.
To sum it up, the proposition of the Assam government in the court seeking verification of citizenship of evacuees is misconstrued as the government’s order/law.


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Protest video from Bangladesh shared as a massive protest by Muslims in West Bengal - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 27, 2020
A video of a massive protest by Muslim groups is being shared on social media claiming it as the protest conducted by Muslim groups in West Bengal. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Video of a massive protest conducted by Muslim groups in West Bengal.
Fact: Video in the post shows a massive protest by Muslims in Bangladesh. In 2017, Bangladesh right-wing party ‘Islami Andolan Bangladesh’ organized a protest against the Myanmar government for the atrocities on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. It has nothing to do with West Bengal, India. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On observing the video carefully, we can see the flag of Bangladesh in the protest at 0.37 seconds in the video. By observing the placards held by the protesters carefully, we found out it is a protest against the atrocities on Rohingya Muslims. On the placards, we can see names of organizations like ‘Islami Jubo Andolan’ and ‘Islami Shasantantra Chhatra Andolan’ on it. We found that both these organizations belongs to Bangladesh.
On reverse image search, we found similar visuals in a video posted by a user named ‘Spice Info Tube’ on YouTube. He uploaded this video with the title ‘Islami Andolon Bangladesh enclose Myanmar Embassy’. When we searched for official sources using these keywords, we found a video posted by Bangladeshi national channel ‘Channel i news’ on YouTube on ‘13 September 2017’. Though these visuals are not exactly similar to the video posted on social media, we found similar placards and flags held by the protesters in this video. In the video, it is mentioned as an incident related to a protest by Muslim groups near the Embassy of Myanmar in Dhaka, Bangladesh. They protested against the Government of Myanmar for atrocities against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
We also found an article published by ‘The New Indian Express’ news website about this protest. In the article, it is mentioned that at least 15,000 supporters of ‘Islami Andolon Bangladesh’ party carried out a massive protest against the atrocities on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, near the Embassy of Myanmar in Dhaka.
To sum it up, video of a massive protest conducted in Bangladesh is falsely portrayed as the protest in West Bengal.
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Protest videos from Gujarat shared as people in UP protesting against the government’s inaction to contain Lumpy skin disease - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 18, 2022
A post is being shared on social media where people can be seen throwing milk from milk cans, emptying a milk tanker and throwing milk packets into a water body. The post claims that the people of Uttar Pradesh have taken this step to stop cow disease. Let’s fact-check this video through this article.
Claim: People of Uttar Pradesh threw away milk as a mark of protest against the government’s inaction against cow disease (lumpy skin disease).
Fact: The visuals in the viral video are related to the protests that occurred in Gujarat last month. The Maldhari community of Gujarat reportedly protested against a proposed cattle bill which prohibits the movement of stray cattle on roads and public spaces in the state’s urban areas. No such protest was reported in Uttar Pradesh. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Firstly, we looked on the internet for reports related to protests in Uttar Pradesh, as claimed in the post, but we could not find any relevant information. Searching on the internet with relevant keywords led us to a YouTube video containing one of the videos from the viral post in which people throw milk packets into a water body. The video is titled ‘milk throwing in Tapi river.‘
With this hint, we refined our keyword search on the internet and found a  news report related to this. The report by TV9, published on 21 Sep 2022, contains the same video from the viral post, which can be seen from 00:31 seconds. Reportedly , there was outrage among the cattle owners across Gujarat against the Cattle Control Act. The article states that the stockholders would not sell milk and the protests spread to the whole of Gujarat.
Later, the government withdrew the proposed bill. The Hindu’s report on it says ‘Following massive protests by cattle-rearing communities, the Gujarat Legislative Assembly on Wednesday unanimously withdrew a Bill aimed at prohibiting the movement of stray cattle on roads and public places in urban areas of the State, in a bid to pacify the communities ahead of the State polls.’ Times of India and New Indian Express also reported about the withdrawal, which can be read here and here.
Factly noticed that the same videos from the viral post are also being shared with the claim that they show people protesting in Surat, Gujarat, against the government’s inaction against the spread of Lumpy skin disease. These posts can be seen here and here.
To sum up, videos related to the protests in Gujarat against the Cattle Control Bill are falsely attributed to Uttar Pradesh and the Lumpy skin disease..

created: October 18, 2022


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Protestors faking injuries? No, they were expressing solidarity with a fellow Jamia student who lost an eye - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 31, 2019
A photo of a protestor is being widely shared on social media with a claim that the protestors were faking injuries to play the victim card. They are also trolling the protestors with the remark that no Doctor will tie the bandage over the hijab. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
The bandage over the hijab reveals the truth that the protestors were faking injuries to play the victim card.
Fact: The protestors wore the bandage over one eye in solidarity with Minhajuddin, a Jamia Student who lost an eye during the protests. They were not faking injuries but expressing solidarity with the injured Jamia Student. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On the posted photo, it can be seen that there is a name – ‘Zafar Abbas’. So, when searched for that person on Google, an Indian Journalist’s Twitter account with the same name was found in the search results. It can be seen that he has posted the same photo on his account. When some users trolled the picture with the ‘bandage over the hijab’ remark, he commented on the photo with another tweet – ‘Jamia student bandage one eye in solidarity with Minhajuddin, a Jamia Student who lost an eye in Delhi police attack on December 15.’ More about Minhajuddin can be found here. The news articles regarding the ‘one eye bandaged’ protests can be read here and here.
The method of protesting by portraying the victims is not new. Many people around the world protest against various actions by dressing up to portray the victims. The news articles regarding those protests can be read here, here, here and here.
To sum it up, the protestors were expressing solidarity with afellow Jamia student who lost an eye.
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created: December 31, 2019


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Punjab is not the top contributor to India’s Inward Remittances - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 12, 2022
A post is being widely shared on social media claiming that Punjab tops the list of states in the foreign inward remittances category, whereas Gujarat has the most number of Fugitive Economic offenders.
Claim: Punjab tops the list of states in the foreign inward remittances category, whereas Gujarat stands first in having the greatest number of Fugitive Economic offenders.
Fact: According to the latest RBI report on India’s Inward remittances for 2020-21, Maharashtra tops the list by contributing 35.2% of total remittances, while Punjab stands 9 with a share of 3%. Also, the Government has not categorised the Fugitive Economic Offenders based on the state they belong to. People from other states are also mentioned in the list. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
According to RBI’s latest report on India’s Inward Remittances for 2020-21, Maharashtra tops the list of states with a share of 35.2% in total remittances to India. Punjab stands at 9 place with a share of 3%.
Even according to the previous data for 2016-17, Punjab was not the top contributing state.
Coming to the list of Fugitive Economic offenders, the Government has not categorised these people based on the state they belong to.
People from other states were also mentioned in the list. For example, Vijay Mallya was born in West Bengal and elected twice to Rajya Sabha from Karnataka. Nilesh Parekh is a Kolkata-based businessman facing ₹ 7,000 crore default, went offshore.
To sum it up, Punjab is not the top contributor for India’s inward remittances, and there is no data to suggest that Gujarat has the greatest number of Fugitive Economic Offenders.

created: October 12, 2022


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Punjabi actress's video expressing solidarity with farmers is shared as farmers protesting in Benz car - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 29, 2020
A post with the video of a woman participating in a protest in Mercedes Benz car is doing rounds on social media mocking the farmers’ protests in Punjab. The description of the post states that poor farmers in Punjab cannot afford tractors and so are forced to protest in Mercedes Benz car. Here is a  fact-check of this claim.
Claim: Farmers in Punjab are protesting in Mercedes Benz cars.
Fact: The person seen inside atop the Mercedes Benz car in the video is  Japji Khaira, a Punjabi actress who was expressing solidarity with farmers against the farm bills. In a video shared by the actress on her Facebook account, the Mercedes Benz car with the same registration number can be seen. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Google search with the keyword ‘Punjab farmers protest’ led us to a video shared on Facebook by actress Japji Khaira. In the video, she can be heard expressing solidarity with the farmers in their protests against the recent farm bills. In this particular video, she can be seen standing beside the same Merceds Benz car which is seen in the posted video.The registration number of the car in both the videos is the same. With this, we can conclude that the car belongs to the actress and not the protesting farmers.
News reports about the actress being vocal in her opposition about the farm bills and supporting farmers protests against the bills can be seen here and here. She also shared videos on her social media accounts which can be seen here and here.
In the light of the ongoing protests by farmers against the recently passed farm bills, posts like these are being shared on social media platforms with misleading claims.
To sum it up, video of Japji Khaira, Punjabi actress expressing solidarity with farmers is being shared as farmers protesting in Mercedes Benz cars in Punjab.

created: September 29, 2020


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Puri Jagannath Temple administration did not deny entry to Mamata Banerjee yesterday - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 20, 2021
A post is being widely shared on social media with a claim that Mamata Banerjee has not been allowed to enter Puri Jagannath Temple yesterday, and she returned without having the darshan of the lord. It is being claimed that the temple administration told her that only Hindus can enter the temple and she is not a Hindu. In the post, it can also be read that she was not allowed as she eats beef and supports those who eat beef. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Mamata Banerjee has not been allowed to enter Puri Jagannath Temple yesterday. The temple administration told her that she is not a Hindu.
Fact: There are no such reports about her visit to the Puri Jagannath Temple yesterday. While a few priests opposed her visit to the temple in 2017, her visit to the temple was welcomed by other priests and the temple administration. She also visited the temple in 2020. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched about Mamata’s visit to the temple yesterday, no recent reports were found about her visit to the Puri Jagannath Temple. If Mamata Banerjee had indeed visited the Puri Jagannath temple and the temple administration denied her entry, then all the prominent news agencies would have reported about the incident. But there is no information about the occurrence of any such incident recently.
However, a similar incident was reported in April 2017. A few priests opposed her visit to the temple in 2017 as they were angry with her alleged support to beef consumption. The priests who threatened to oppose her visit were then detained by the Police and she visited the temple. Some news agencies have reported in 2017 that the then chief administrator of Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Suresh Mohapatra said – “All sevayat communities of Shri Jagannath Temple welcome Mamata Banerjee to visit the shrine and seek the blessings of the Lord”. The reports about her visit to the temple in 2017 can be seen here and here.
Mamata Banerjee has also visited the temple in February 2020. There are also news reports about Puri temple priests performing puja at Mamata’s residence in February 2021.
Also, on 19 April 2021 (the day mentioned in the post), the live video of Mamata’s public meeting at Chakulia (Uttar Dinajpur) and the video of her press conference at Malda can be seen posted on the official Facebook page of All India Trinamool Congress.
The incident regarding Indira Gandhi not being allowed into the temple in 1984, because she was married to a Parsi, has been mentioned by many agencies. They can be seen here, here, and here.
To sum it up, there are no such reports about Mamata Banerjee’s visit to the Puri Jagannath Temple yesterday. Also, she has previously visited the temple.


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‘Puri Jagannath Temple land sale’: BJP has no connection; BJD is in power in Odisha. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 9, 2021
A photo of a newspaper article titled – ‘35K acres Jagannath land to be sold out’ is being shared on social media with a claim that Modi’s BJP government is also selling the assets of the Puri Jagannath temple. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: BJP government is selling 35k acres of Puri Jagannath temple land in Odisha. The photo shows a newspaper article related to it.
Fact: In the article given in the post, it can be read that while answering a question asked by a BJP MLA on Puri Jagannath Temple in the Assembly, Odisha’s Law Minister Pratap Jena said that the government is taking necessary steps to sell around 35k (35,000) acres of temple land properties. But ‘Shree Jagannatha Temple Office, Puri’ has clarified that the news is not true and the decisions regarding the allotment of land for such public benefit infrastructure projects are taken by the Jagannath Temple Committee. Also, the BJD is in power in Odisha and the BJP is the opposition party in the State. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When we searched for the news article mentioned in the post, it was found that the article was published by ‘Orissa Post’ on 17 March 2021. The e-paper version of the article can be read here (archived).
The news article does not mention anywhere that the BJP is selling the lands of the temple. In a written reply to a question asked in Assembly by BJP MLA Mohan Charan Majhi on Puri Jagannath Temple, Odisha’s Law Minister Pratap Jena said that the government is taking necessary steps to sell around 35k (35,000) acres of temple land properties under the recommendations of BD Sharma committee and as per State government’s approved ‘Uniform Policy’.
But, as this news went viral, ‘Shree Jagannatha Temple Office, Puri’ has clarified that – ‘it has been falsely reported that 35,000 acres of land of Lord Jagannatha is being sold. This is a complete distortion of facts and is blatantly false and motivated.’ They have also said that – ‘the lands, which are occupied or are under the possession of various persons since long but belongs to Shree Jagannatha Mahaprabhu; are being settled by Temple Committee as per the “Unified Policy”, framed for the purpose in the year 2003…Decisions regarding the allotment of land for such public benefit infrastructure projects to the Government and others is taken by the Jagannath Temple Committee.’ The tweets made by ‘Shree Jagannatha Temple Office, Puri’ on the issue can be seen here.
When the ‘Uniform Policy’ was made in 2003, the BJD-BJP coalition government was in power in Odisha. But there is no such coalition now in the State. Even if the Odisha government has decided to sell the lands of the temple, BJD is the party that is in power in Odisha and the BJP is the opposition party in the State. Also, Pradipta Kumar Naik, the opposition leader, and BJP MLA in Odisha, has opposed the sale of Puri Jagannath temple lands.
To sum it up, BJP has no connection with the sale of 35k acres of Puri temple lands mentioned in the posted article.


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Tweet stating that Taliban executed CNN journalist is not true, the image is of YouTuber Jordie Jordan - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 19, 2021
A post accompanying an image of a tweet from a Twitter handle that reads ‘CNN Afghanistan’ claims that the Taliban has executed CNN journalist Bernie Gores. The tweet also shares an image that it says is of Bernie Gores. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: CNN Afghanistan tweet claiming that Taliban has executed CNN journlist Bernie Gores.
Fact: No CNN journalist or for that matter any other American journalist was executed by Taliban following the Taliban takeover of the Afghan government recently. The photo in the tweet is of YouTuber Jordie Jordan. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The image of the person shared in the purported tweet is of YouTube vlogger Jordie Jordan, but not any CNN reporter. Reverse image search of the photo led us to Jordie Jordan’s YouTube channel. In fact, Jordie Jordan live-streamed a gaming video earlier today, wherein he recorded a video of him playing a video game.
Another Twitter handle that reads ‘BBC Afghanistan’ also shared the same news. These Twitter handles are not associated with CNN or BBC, since the official handles of these networks carry a blue verified mark (here & here). Further, these two handles were taken down later. The same was clarified by a former CIA agent on Twitter.
🚨These two accounts are circulating a big claim about a reporter. Neither of the accounts are verified or appear to actually be associated with @BBCNews or @CNN. They both were created in May, and one has only posted once. A few suspect domains are also circulating the claim. pic.twitter.com/NzVNWzTKeh
Also, there are no reports of any CNN journalist or for that matter any other American journalist being executed by the Taliban following the Taliban takeover of the Afghan government. Further, in correspondence with Reuters, Matt Dornic, head of strategic communications at CNN, told that ‘this is a fabricated story and a fake post.’
To sum it up, this tweet stating that the Taliban executed CNN journalist is not true and the image is of YouTuber Jordie Jordan.


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PV Sindhu did not announce her retirement from Badminton - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 3, 2020
A post claiming that ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu has announced retirement for the sport is being widely shared across social media platforms. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Indian shuttler PV Sindhu has announced retirement from the sport.
Fact: PV did not announce her retirement from the sport. A cryptic tweet regarding coronavirus, the unrest and uncertainty surrounding it which led to her not representing India in Denmark Open has caused the buzz that she is getting retired. Many news agencies fell for this tweet and misreported that she is getting retired. Even Amit Shah tweeted wishing her, which he later deleted. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Google search with relevant keywords led us to a cryptic tweet by PV Sindhu which led to the buzz surrounding her retirement. In this particular tweet, Sindhu talks about coronavirus and the struggles associated with it. Through this tweet, she announced that she would retire from the sense of unrest, negativity and uncertainty which coronavirus has created in her. However nowhere in the tweet, she mentioned that she is getting retired from the sport. Moreover, her tweet clearly states that she would come for Asia Open. She mentioned in the tweet that this cryptic message is just to create impact and make people take notice of their careless attitude towards the virus.
🙏 pic.twitter.com/W7uw2IvF4S
Several news agencies fell for this cryptic tweet and they misreported that PV Sindhu retired from the sport. They later updated that she has not retired. Even the Union Home minister Amit Shah tweeted wishing her on retirement. He deleted the tweet later.
To sum it up, PV Sindhu did not announce her retirement from the sport. A cryptic tweet by her regarding coronavirus was misinterpreted by several news agencies.

created: November 3, 2020


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Qasem Soleimani’s funeral video shared as ‘agitation in Mangalore on NRC, CAA and NPR’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 20, 2020
A video is being shared widely on Facebook with a claim that it shows agitation in Mangalore on NRC, CAA, and NPR. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Video of agitation in Mangalore on NRC, CAA and NPR.
Fact: The video shows the funeral procession of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani. It is not related to any agitation in India. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the screenshots of the video were run through the Yandex Reverse Image Search, many similar videos were found in the search results. It can be found that the same video was tweeted by a ‘Geo News’ reporter with the following description: ‘The world’s largest ever funeral procession is currently underway in Iran. Tens of thousands have gathered to honor General #QassemSoleimani who helped to defeat ISIS, Al-Qaeda and Daesh in the Middle East.’ Similar visuals can be also seen in the video uploaded by ‘ANI News’ on the ‘funeral of Qasem Soleimani’. Also, in the video, Iranian flags can be seen.
The world’s largest ever funeral procession is currently underway in Iran. Tens of thousands have gathered to honor General #QassemSoleimani who helped to defeat ISIS, Al-Qaeda and Daesh in the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/qbcVe79mBY
To sum it up, Qasem Soleimani’s funeral video shared as ‘agitation in Mangalore on NRC, CAA and NPR’.
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created: January 20, 2020


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Qatar and Kuwait Governments did not issue any orders to expel Swedish Citizens in response to the Quran burning in Sweden - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 5, 2023
A post is being widely shared on social media claiming that Qatar and Kuwait governments have issued orders to expel all Swedish citizens from their countries in response to the Quran burning incident in Sweden. In the wake of several Islamic countries condemning the act of a protester burning a copy of the Quran outside Stockholm’s central Mosque on the first day of Eid Al Adha, on 28 June 2023, this post is going viral on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Qatar and Kuwait announced expelling of Swedish citizens in response to the Quran burning incident in Sweden.
Fact: Both the Qatar and Kuwait governments issued statements condemning the burning of a Quaran copy outside Stockholm’s central Mosque in Sweden. However, Qatar and Kuwait governments did not issue any order announcing the expelling  Swedish citizens from their countries. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched to check whether the Qatar and Kuwait governments had recently issued any orders or press notes announcing the expelling of Swedish citizens from their countries, we could not find any news report confirming this information.
Upon searching for further details, we found a statement issued by Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs protesting the burning of Quran copies in Sweden. Condemning the Sweden government’s permission for extremists to burn Quran copies outside the central Mosque in Stockholm, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the heinous incident is an act of incitement and a serious provocation to the feelings of more than two billion Muslims in the world.
Statement : Qatar condemns in the strongest terms the Swedish authorities' permission to burn copies of the Holy Qur'an#MOFAQatar pic.twitter.com/2i0Ab6ANCp
Further, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns that allowing repeated infringement of the Holy Qur’an under the pretext of freedom of expression fuels hatred and violence, threatens peaceful coexistence, and re- veals abhorrent double standards. The Ministry renews the State of Qatar’s total rejection of all forms of hate speech based on belief, race, or religion, and the involvement of sanctities in political disputes. It also warns that hate campaigns against Islam and Islamophobia discourse are a serious witness to the continuation of the systematic calls for targeting Muslims in the world.” However, the Qatar government in the statement emphasized their full support for the values of tolerance and coexistence, and their keenness to establish the principles of international peace and security through dialogue and mutual understanding. Qatar did not announce any such ban on Swedish citizens after the Quran burning incident in Sweden.
The Kuwait government too condemned the burning of Quaran in Sweden. The Kuwait government in their statement condemned the decision by the Swedish authorities to grant a permit to carry out such an act, as Muslims around the world celebrate Eid Al-Adha. The Kuwait government in the statement affirmed that the acts are completely unacceptable, contradict all moral and human principles, and said it will incite violence and terrorism. However, the Kuwaiti government did not announce any such order expelling Swedish citizens from their country. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and many other Islamic countries condemned the burning of the Quran in Sweden.
To sum it up, Qatar and Kuwait Governments did not issue any orders to expel Swedish Citizens in response to the Quran burning in Sweden.


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Qatar has now revoked the death penalty awarded to eight former Indian Navy personnel - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 12, 2024
Update (12 February 2024): According to a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs, Qatar has freed 8 ex-Indian Navy men jailed on espionage charges and seven of them have returned to India.
Update (29 December 2023): The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), through a press release on 28 December 2023, has informed that that the sentences of eight former Indian Navy personnel on death row have been reduced in the Dahra Global case. The detailed judgement is awaited.
A post is being shared on social media claiming that Qatar had revoked the death sentence awarded to eight Indians. The post claims that the Qatar government prioritized the friendship with Narendra Modi and India over the severity of the criminal offences allegedly committed by the eight Indians. In the wake of the Qatar Court of First Instance announcing the death penalty to eight former Indian Navy personnel in October 2023 on charges of allegedly spying for Israel, the post is going viral on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Qatar quashed the death sentence of eight Indians prioritising the friendship with Narendra Modi and India.
Fact: The appellate court in Qatar recently accepted the appeal filed  against the death sentence awarded to eight former personnel of the Indian Navy. However, the case is still pending and the next hearing of this case is scheduled on 07 December 2023. The Qatar judiciary as on date did not make any announcement regarding the cancellation of the death penalty of eight former Indian Navy personnel. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched to check whether the Qatar Court had revoked the death sentence given to the eight former Indian Navy personnel, allegedly accused of spying for Israel, we could not find any official news reports confirming the quashing of the death sentence of eight Indians. If Qatar had quashed the death sentence of eight Indians, several news websites would have published articles reporting that information.
The appellate court in Qatar has accepted the appeal filed by the Indian government against the death sentence awarded to the eight former personnel. This reportedly took place almost two weeks after the Indian government had said that the appeal had been filed in the case. However, the Ministry of External Affairs did not make any announcement regarding the quashing of the death penalty given to eight Indian citizens.
Abhinandan Mishra, a journalist from Dainik Bhaskar, tweeted that the upcoming hearing for this case is set to take place on 7 December 2023. Speaking to ‘Boom Live’ about the viral social media post alleging the cancellation of the death sentence to eight former Indian Navy personnel, Abhinandan Mishra said, “Not true as far as I am aware. The case is still being heard in the court.”
The next hearing has been scheduled for 7 December. Indian officials, meanwhile, will be meeting the eight Indians soon. https://t.co/sNRSn86iFG
To sum it up, Qatar did not revoke the death sentence issued to the eight former Indian Navy personnel.

created: February 12, 2024


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Quizzes & Surveys Archive - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 24, 2024


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మీ ఫాక్ట్-చెక్ సామర్థ్యం ఎంత? - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 1, 2021


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Matter of Factly Quiz 2021 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 1, 2021


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What are the Quality Standards in place for Play Schools & Pre-Schools?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 12, 2018
There has been a proliferation of Play Schools & Pre-Schools in the recent times. But what are the guidelines & quality standards in place for such entities? Here is a look at the quality standards laid down in the ECCE policy.
The government’s  Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme or more commonly known as the Anganwadi scheme is probably the  largest such program  in the world. The scheme’s primary beneficiaries are children in the 0-6 age group (158 million as per 2011 Census). The scheme offers six services and  ‘Pre-school Education’ is one of the six services extended under this scheme. In the recent times, there has been a proliferation of private play schools and pre-schools. To lay down certain norms & standards for such entities, the government had notified the ‘ National Early Childhood Care & Education (ECCE) Policy’  in 2013. Among other things, the policy lays down certain non-negotiable quality standards to be followed by all such service providers.
The Non-Negotiable Quality Standards for Play Schools & Pre-Schools
At the minimum, all ECCE service providers have to comply with the following non-negotiable indicators
Quality Standards & Framework
The guidelines also specify the following  eight Quality Standards.
The  National ECCE Council and corresponding Councils at State level  are supposed to act as the regulatory & monitoring bodies in charge of periodic review, co-ordination with other departments and creating public awareness among  other things .
The government has also released the  ECCE curriculum framework  to be followed by all ECCE service providers.  ECCE training module for Anganwadi workers  has also been released recently. An  e-learning module  has also been developed. These modules can be accessed from the website of  National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development.
Action Point: If you come across any Play School or Pre-School not conforming to the relevant standards, write to the  Women & Child Development department of the State Government  or file a grievance on the  CPGRAMS  portal with the Ministry of Women & Child Development of Government of India.

created: February 12, 2018


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Tamil Nadu elections statistics
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 23, 2016
Tamil Nadu witnessed a very closely fought election this time around. Out of the 232 constituencies that went to polls, 15 were won with a margin of less than 1000 votes. The victory margin in two constituencies was less than 100. The average victory margin has come down by 35% compared to 2011.
Tamil Nadu witnessed a very closely fought election this time around. Unlike the landslide victory to either the AIADMK or the DMK alliance, the AIADMK won a simple majority by winning 134 out of the 232 constituencies that went to polls. The DMK alliance on the other hand won 98 seats. The AIADMK won 40.8% of the popular vote while the DMK alliance won close to 39.8%.
Victory margin was less than 1000 votes in 15 constituencies
Out of the 232 constituencies that went to polls, the victory margin was less than 100 votes in 2 constituencies and less than 1000 in 15 constituencies. The victory margin in Radhapuram constituency was just 49 votes while in Kattumannarkoil constituency, the victory margin was just 87 votes. Both these constituencies were won by the AIADMK. In 2011, the victory margin was less than 1000 in only 8 constituencies.25% of the constituencies were won with a margin of less than 3%
57 of the constituencies were won with a victory margin of less than 3%. In other words, one out of every four constituencies was won with a victory margin of less than 3%. Close to 39% (89) constituencies were won with a margin of less than 5%. Less than 1/3 (73) of the constituencies  were won with a victory margin of more than 10%.  The highest victory margin both in terms of number of votes and percentage of votes was in Thiruvarur constituency. DMK chief M Karunanidhi won with a margin of 34.7% votes (68366 votes) from here. Jayalalitha’s victory margin on the other hand was 39545 or 22.7%.AIADMK won 50 seats with less than 5% margin
Out of the 134 seats won by the AIADMK, 32 of them were won with a margin of less than 3% while 50 of them were won with a margin of less than 5% votes. On the other hand, the DMK alliance won 25 seats with a margin of less than 3% votes and 39 seats with a margin of less than 5% votes. AIADMK won 42 seats with a margin of more than 10% votes compared to DMK alliance’s 31 seats with a similar margin.Number of seats won with more than 10% margin reduced to half
The fact that 2016 was a closely fought election unlike 2011 was evident in the number of seats won with greater margins. While only 28 seats were won less than 5% margin in 2011, this number went up three times, to 89 in 2016. In 2011, 143 seats were won with a margin of more than 10%, while in 2016, this number is reduced by half to 73. In 2011, 183 seats were won with a margin of more than 10000 votes. In 2016, this is down to 134 seats. The average victory margin in 2016 has also come down substantially by 35% compared to 2011. In 2011, the average victory margin was 22798 votes while in 2016, it is down to 14835 votes.


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Queen Elizabeth did not state that Narendra Modi is the first Indian PM to whom she had to bow down - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 16, 2021
A post is being shared on social media claiming that Queen Elizabeth had recently stated that Narendra Modi is the only Indian Prime Minister to whom she had to bow down in her entire life. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Queen Elizabeth stated Narendra Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to whom she had to bow down.
Fact: Queen Elizabeth had not made any such statement on PM Narendra Modi. There is no such news report found on the internet linking such a statement to Queen Elizabeth. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether Queen Elizabeth had made such a statement about PM Narendra Modi, we could not find any information or any reports on the internet. If Queen Elizabeth had made such a statement, several news agencies would have published the same owing to the stature of both the Queen and PM Modi. But, there are no such news reports found on the internet.
Queen Elizabeth’s multiple interactions with Narendra Modi in London can be seen here and here. Queen Elizabeth was never seen in these videos making such a statement about PM Narendra Modi during these meetings. The misleading message shared in the post was circulating on social media at least since 2018.
FACTLY had earlier debunked another claim involving Queen Elizabeth when an edited photo of a billboard is shared as the Queen thanking PM Modi for sending vaccines to the UK.
To sum it up, Queen Elizabeth hasn’t stated that Narendra Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to whom she had to bow down.


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Queen Elizabeth hasn’t ordered Cristiano Ronaldo autographed jerseys from Manchester United - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 2, 2021
A post is being shared on social media claiming that Queen Elizabeth II had ordered 80 signed jerseys of Cristiano Ronaldo to the Royal Court. Also, this post claims that the Queen has made a personal request to Manchester United football club to reserve her the first signed jersey of Ronaldo. On 31 August 2021, Portuguese star Football player Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed his return to the Manchester Football Club. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Queen Elizabeth II had made a personal request to the Manchester United for a signed jersey of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Fact: This news was first published by the Sport Innovation Society Twitter handle on 01 September 2021. Later they deleted this tweet by issuing a public apology for not confirming the veracity of the note. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether Queen Elizabeth II had made any such request for a Cristiano Ronaldo autographed jersey, it is found out that the Sport Innovation Society had first reported this information through a tweet on 01 September 2021. In the tweet, the Sport Innovation Society claimed that Queen Elizabeth had ordered 80 signed jerseys of Cristiano Ronaldo to the Royal Court and she had made a personal request to the Manchester United football club to reserve the first signed jersey for her.
However, the Sport Innovation Society subsequently deleted this tweet and later issued an apology for not confirming the veracity of the note. Reporting the complete details, the UK-based ‘Daily Express’ news website published an article on 01 September 2021. Several news outlets that published articles based on Sport Innovation Society’s tweet which later issued a clarification note in the update section.
We could not confirm the veracity of the note from the Queen and CR7 so we decided to delete the tweet. Apologies
In the past, a few websites reported that Queen Elizabeth was an ardent fan of West Ham United football club and also mentioned that she had a soft spot for Arsenal football club. They can be seen here and here. But the Queen hasn’t made any recent statement on her favourite football team or favourite player. ‘Snopes’ website had also published a fact-check article on this false news spreading on social media.
To sum it up, Queen Elizabeth II hasn’t ordered Cristiano Ronaldo autographed jerseys from Manchester United.

created: September 2, 2021


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Quick Check: An old photo of Prince Charles with Kanika Kapoor is being shared with a false narrative - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 31, 2020
A photo is being shared with the claim that Prince Charles has contracted with Coronavirus from Kanika Kapoor during the latter’s recent visit to the United Kingdom. FACTLY has found that the image was taken in 2015 when singer Kanika Kapoor attended the Elephant Family charity, ‘Travels to my Elephant’, hosted by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.  So, the image is an old one.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact – https://www.indiablooms.com/showbiz-details/B/2044/when-kanika-kapoor-met-prince-charles.html
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/music/news/Prince-Charles-actually-spoke-to-Bollywood-singer-Kanika-Kapoor-in-Hindi/articleshow/47925703.cms
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An old and unrelated video is falsely shared as 'Stone-pelting on the Health officials in Indore' - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 3, 2020
A video of stone-pelting by the people on the police vehicles is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows an attack on the health officials when they went to trace Nizamuddin markaz participants in Indore, MP. FACTLY has found that the video is related to anti-CAA protests in Ahmedabad and the video was taken in December 2019 i.e. much before the Coronavirus outbreak in India. Also, when the same video was shared falsely in another context, FACTLY has previously written a fact-check article, which can be read here.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I44jfY-UFXc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXaXLz-0JCU
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Quick Check: Old and unrelated video from Azerbaijan shared as 'Police implementing lockdown in Spain' - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 30, 2020
A video of Police beating and arresting people is being shared with a claim that it shows Police strictly implementing COVID-19 lockdown in Spain. FACTLY has found that the video was taken in October 2019 in Azerbaijan, not Spain. In the video, the Police were dispersing a protest .
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZVYQyjwuE0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQLmvBDBEb8
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Quick Check: Old images are being shared as ‘Migrant labourers beaten by Police on Highways during National Lockdown’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 2, 2020
A couple of disturbing images are being shared on Facebook with the claim that they are of migrant labourers beaten by Police on highways during the current national lockdown in the country. FACTLY has found that the images are not related to the recent incidents. The image on the left side is found to exist on the internet at least since July 2019 and the other one is related to an incident in Bangladesh in 2017.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact –
https://www.facebook.com/valobasarareknamjontrona.munna/photos/pcb.2541547915856814/2541547779190161/?type=3&theater http://matinews.com/coverstory/%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%87%E0%A6%A8/
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Quick Check: Old photo of Modi visiting a church in Colombo shared in the context of COVID-19 outbreak - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 30, 2020
An image of Modi visiting a church is being shared on social media with a claim that he visited Church to pray for the revival of the country from the present Coronavirus outbreak. FACTLY has found that the photo was taken at St Anthony’s Shrine (Colombo) in June 2019. It is not related to the Coronavirus outbreak.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact – https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/pm-narendra-modi-sri-lanka-visit-st-anthony-s-church-1545331-2019-06-09
https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1137611919815090176
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Quick Check: Old photo shared as Deer on Ooty-Coimbatore Road during the current lockdown - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 28, 2020
An image of a herd of deer sitting in the middle of a road is being shared as the Ooty-Coimbatore road is now reclaimed by its original owners. Factly found that the image is at least 6 years old and is from Japan.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact – https://japanesestation.com/rusa-nara-di-jepang-mencari-kehangatan-di-aspal-jalanan
https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/8y9sni/nara_or_the_deers_town_in_japan
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Quick Check: Old photos from Venezuela shared as 'People throwing money on streets of Italy as it could not save them from COVID-19' - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 31, 2020
A couple of photos are being shared on Facebook with a claim that people in Italy are throwing money on the streets as money could not save them from COVID-19. FACTLY has found the photos are old and were taken in Venezuela, not in Italy. People threw the notes on the road as they were of little value due to hyperinflation in Venezuela.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact – https://dailytimewaster.blogspot.com/2019/04/socialist-venezuela-today-thats-money.html
https://twitter.com/descifraguerra/status/1105393223462207488
https://medium.com/@thegilty/cucuta-colombia-serving-as-a-gateway-to-venezuela-venezuelans-bitcoin-606a6645112f
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Quick Check: Video clip from a 2007 TV series ‘Pandemic’ is being falsely shared as ‘Current position of Italy’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 2, 2020
A video of dead bodies being piled up in a mass grave is being shared as the current position of Italy. FACTLY has found that the video is not of a true incident and is not related to the current COVID-19 outbreak in Italy. It was taken from 2007 TV series ‘Pandemic’.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FjJABezjFk&feature=youtu.be&t=8859
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0802821/
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Quick Check: Video from 2015 is falsely shared as ‘Man struggling with Coronavirus has committed suicide in New York’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 31, 2020
A video of a person jumping off a building top is being shared with the claim that the person has committed suicide in New York as he was infected with coronavirus. FACTLY has found that the video was taken in 2015. It shows a man jumping from the balcony of a 28-floor Embassy Suites Hotel located in Philadelphia.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact – https://www.facebook.com/OduaRere/videos/959644430743725/?v=959644430743725
https://www.phillyvoice.com/eyewitnesses-man-jumps-center-city-high-rise/
https://www.boomlive.in/fake-news/2015-video-from-philadelphia-peddled-as-coronavirus-suicide-in-italy-7620
Correction (April 10, 2020):An earlier version of this article mentioned that the video is of a pregnant woman jumping from a building. It has come to our notice that it is of a man jumping from the balcony of a 28-floor Embassy Suites Hotel located in Philadelphia. Error is regretted.
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Rabindranath Tagore did not write 'Jana Gana Mana' in praise of British King George V - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 12, 2023
A post shared on social media claims that Rabindranath Tagore wrote the ‘Jana Gana Mana’ anthem in praise of British King George V in 1911. The post shared a video of the late social activist Rajiv Dixit, in which he claims that Rabindranath Tagore had received the Nobel Prize for composing the ‘Jana Gana Mana’ anthem in admiration of King George V. The post claims that George V served as the Chairman of the Nobel Prize selection committee when Rabindranath Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1913. The extended version of the video shows Rajiv Dixit asserting that Rabindranath Tagore had written the ‘Jana Gana Mana’ song as a tribute to welcome King George V during his visit to India in December 1911.  Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Rabindranath Tagore wrote the ‘Jana Gana Mana’ song in praise of King George V, who was the Chairman of the Nobel Prize selection committee when Rabindranath Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1913.
Fact: During the 1911 Congress Session, two songs were performed on the same day, one being Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Jana Gana Mana’ and the other a composition by Ramanuja Chaudhary, which was performed especially for King George V. However, certain English media reports incorrectly stated that Tagore’s song was sung in honour of King George V. Rabindranath Tagore, in his letters written in 1937 and 1939, explicitly stated that he did not compose ‘Jana Gana Mana’ in praise of King George V. King George V was not the Chairman of the Nobel Committee of the Swedish Academy when Rabindranath Tagore was awarded with Nobel prize in 1913.  Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
Upon searching for the details of the claims made by Rajiv Dixit in the video, we found an article published by The Indian Express in July 2015, regarding the questions raised on ‘Jana Gana Mana’ being written by Rabindranath Tagore in praise of George V, and that the ‘Adhinayak’ word in the anthem refers to the foreign power. The article reported that the perception of the ‘Jana Gana Mana’ song being written in praise of George V is based on the English media reports of the time, which were not very accurate.
The article emphasized that Rabindranath Tagore had written the ‘Jana Gana Mana’ song in devotion to praise the dispenser of human destiny and that the word ‘Adhinayak’ refers to the ‘dispenser of human destiny’. Reporting the same, a few other news agencies have also published articles in the past. Those articles can be seen here, here, and here.
The song ‘Jana Gana Mana’ was sung for the first time during the Congress session that commenced on 26 December 1911. A document of the 1911 Congress session shows that the second day’s meeting had begun with a patriotic song composed by Rabindranath Tagore. Following Tagore’s song, a song composed especially for George V, by Ramanuja Chaudhary, was performed during the Congress session in 1911. Further, in ‘The Historical Record of The Imperial Visit to India 1911’ document, it is nowhere mentioned that Rabindranath Tagore had composed a song specifically for welcoming the royal family.
Rabindranath Tagore, in his letters written in 1937 and 1939, reportedly stated that he had not written or composed the ‘Jana Gana Mana’ song in praise of King George V, and stated that the ‘Adhinayaka’ word in the song does not refer to King George V. More details about the Indian National anthem composed by Rabindranath Tagore can be seen here, here, here and here.
Harald Gabriel Hjärne was the Chairman of the Nobel Committee of the Swedish Academy when Rabindranath Tagore was awarded with the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. The award ceremony speech by Harald Hjärne, on 10 December 1913, while awarding the Nobel Prize to Rabindranath Tagore can be seen here. George V was not the Chairman of the Nobel Committee of the Swedish Academy when Rabindranath Tagore was awarded with Nobel Prize in 1913.
To sum it up, Rabindranath Tagore did not write the ‘Jana Gana Mana’ song in praise of George V, and George V was not the Chairman of the Nobel Committee of the Swedish Academy when Rabindranath Tagore was awarded with Nobel Prize in 1913.

created: December 12, 2023


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Raffia Arshad went on to become the first hijab-wearing judge in the UK, not the US - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 16, 2022
A social post claiming that Raffia Arshad as the first hijab wearing judge in the USA is being widely circulated. The post shares an anecdote from Arshad’s life, wherein despite her family’s advice, how she attended an interview with hijab and went onto become the first hijab-waring judge in USA. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Raffia Arshad is the first hijab-wearing judge in USA.
Fact: Raffia Arshad is the first hijab-wearing judge in the UK and not the USA. In 2020,  Arshad has become the first deputy district judge to wear a hijab after she was appointed to the Midlands circuit, UK. The anecdote about her attending an interview with hijab as against her family’s advice is true. She herself shared the story on a Facebook page and other media interviews. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Raffia Arshad is the first hijab-wearing judge in the UK, not the USA. As per news reports in 2020, Arshad, a member of St Mary’s Chambers in Nottingham, became the first deputy district judge to wear a hijab after she was appointed to the Midlands circuit, UK. Several news agencies have reported that she is the first hijab-wearing judge in UK (here & here).
On the other hand, the viral story about her attending an interview with hijab as against her family’s advice is true. She took to Facebook sharing an anecdote of how she took the risk of attending an interview in hijab as against her family’s advice, and later in life went on to become the first hijab-wearing judge.
She even shared the hijab anecdote in media interviews. Following her appointment as a judge, this went viral on social media platforms, however, few users misrepresented her as the first hijab-wearing judge in USA, as in the case of this viral post, which is not true.
To sum it up, Raffia Arshad went on to become the first hijab-wearing judge in the UK, not the US.


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Raghuram Rajan Did Not Say India's Economy Is Becoming Like Sri Lanka's - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 8, 2023
A Facebook post is being widely shared on social media, claiming that the former head of the Reserve Bank of India said that India’s economy is becoming like Sri Lanka’s. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Raghuram Rajan said that Indian Economy is deteriorating in a manner similar to that of Sri Lanka’s.
Fact: Raghuram Rajan has not made this statement. In fact, he said that India will not be facing the same economic issues as Sri Lanka and Pakistan and lauded RBI for maintaining and increasing foreign exchange reserves.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
After conducting a search on the internet using relevant keywords, we found an interview of Raghuram Rajan in July 2022 where he was asked whether India will face economic challenges similar to those of Sri Lanka and Pakistan. In response, Rajan stated that India has sufficient foreign exchange reserves and that the Reserve Bank of India has done a good job of increasing them. He further added that India will not be facing the same economic issues as Sri Lanka and Pakistan and has a lower amount of foreign debt.
During an interview with the news agency PTI in March 2023, Raghuram Rajan expressed concern that India is ‘dangerously close’ to the Hindu rate of growth due to subdued private sector investment, high-interest rates, and slowing global growth. He described the recent sequential slowdown in India’s GDP growth as ‘worrying,’ with Q3 growth falling to 4.4% from 6.3% in the previous quarter. However, a report from SBI economists rejected these claims, arguing that such statements are ‘ill-conceived, biased, and premature’, reported The Times of India.
To sum it up, there is no evidence to suggest that Raghuram Rajan made a statement about India’s economy deteriorating like Sri Lanka’s.


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Raghuram Rajan has clarified that he did not participate in any such IMF webinar session - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 22, 2020
A message is circulating on social media with a list of key takeaways purportedly from a webinar session of IMF (International Monetary Fund) chaired by Raghuram Rajan. The message claims that Rajan has said that India might escape the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic and has suggested the steps to be taken by the Indian Government to improve the country’s economy. But, FACTLY has found that Raghuram Rajan already clarified that he has not participated in any such webinar session conducted by IMF and such message circulating on Indian social media is ‘fake’. Also, on the website of IMF, there is no mention of any such webinar session chaired by Rajan.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact –
1. Raghuram Rajan LinkedIn Post – https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6658346988590899201/
2. IMF website – https://www.imf.org/external/mmedia/index.aspx
3. News article – https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/trends/raghuram-rajan-rubbishes-report-of-chairing-imf-webinar-on-coronavirus/story/401632.html
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Raghuram Rajan has not tweeted on Piyush Goyal’s faux pas. He does not have a Twitter account - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 14, 2019
A post is being shared on Facebook with a claim that the former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has tweeted on Piyush Goyal’s recent comments on the Indian economy. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Raghuram Rajan tweeted on Piyush Goyal’s faux pas.
Fact: Raghuram Rajan does not have an official Twitter account. The tweet was taken from a parody Twitter account on his name. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Not only posts on Facebook, but the same news was published by some reputed news agencies like IANS Live (archived version), Caravan Daily (archived version), Pro Kerala (archived version), Outlook India (archived version), The Quint (archived version) and Odisha TV (archived version). It was initially published by IANS on their website. Later, the other agencies published the same on their portals. (Some agencies auto-published the ANI news article).
When searched for the tweet on Twitter, it was found that the same text was tweeted by a parody handle ‘Raghuram Rajan’ (@RaghuramRRajan). The description of the account reads, “Tweets/RTs are Unofficial parody”.
When other tweets went viral on his name three months back, Raghuram Rajan has posted on his LinkedIn account that he does not have accounts on Facebook and Twitter. He wrote, ‘Any Tweet that is purportedly from me (I understand some are doing the rounds) is fake.’
To sum it up, Raghuram Rajan has not tweeted on Piyush Goyal’s faux pas. He does not have a Twitter account.
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created: September 14, 2019


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Raghuram Rajan never warned Rahul Gandhi and P Chidambaram about Nirav Modi or PNB Scam - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 21, 2019
In the wake of upcoming general elections India, a lot of fake posts are resurfacing on social media and the following is one such post doing rounds in social media again claiming that Raghuram Rajan had warned Rahul Gandhi and P Chidambaram about Nirav Modi, but they forced him to remain silent and kept approving loan till May 2014.
The archived version of the post can be found here.
Raghuram Rajan had warned Rahul Gandhi and P Chidambaram about Nirav Modi, but they forced him to remain silent and kept approving loan till May 2014
Raghuram Rajan clearly denied such claims while mentioning Social media has a habit of attributing complete rubbish to him. Hence the claim is
The post claiming Raghuram Rajan had warned Rahul Gandhi and P Chidambaram about Nirav Modi, but they forced him to remain silent and kept approving loan till May 2014 first appeared in social in March 2018 and was debunked by Boom Live then. In the wake of upcoming general election 2019, this post is again doing rounds in social media and a simple google search will result in fact checked articles on this claim. You can also notice Raghuram Rajan denying such claims in an interview quoting “Social media has a habit of attributing complete rubbish to me,”
Hence, the claim made in the post stands to be FALSE.


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Rahul Gandhi actually attributed this statement 'I want Power. I don’t care about truth' to BJP leaders - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 18, 2022
A video clip of Raul Gandhi’s speech in which he says, “I want Power. I don’t care about truth. The truth be damned. Let me get the chair” is being widely shared on social media. Let’s find the truth behind the video.
Claim: Rahul Gandhi said, “I want Power. I don’t care about truth. The truth be damned. Let me get the chair”
Fact: In the full-length video, Rahul Gandhi says, “Hindutva vaadis (referring to BJP leaders) want power at any cost. Mahatma said, ‘I want truth. I don’t want power’. Likewise, they (BJP) say, ‘I want power. I don’t care about truth. The truth be damned. Let me get the chair’. These people are in Power since 2014”. This speech is from a rally held in Jaipur in December 2021. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING
We searched the internet and found the full video of his speech on Congress party’s Official YouTube channel. This video is uploaded on 12 December 2021 with the title, “Shri Rahul Gandhi addresses the ‘Mehangai Hatao Maha Rally’ in Jaipur, Rajasthan”. Talking about the difference between Hindu and Hindutva, at 11:27 minutes, he says: “Hindutva vaadis (referring to BJP leaders) want power at any cost. Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘I want truth. I don’t want power’. Likewise, they (BJP) say, ‘I want power. I don’t care about truth. The truth be damned. Let me get the chair’. These people are in Power since 2014”
However, the viral video just shows part of his speech where he says ‘I want power. I don’t care about truth. The truth be damned. Let me get the chair’ misleading the viewers without providing full context. Rahul Gandhi’s speech can also be seen on Zee Rajasthan’s YouTube channel.
To sum it up, Rahul Gandhi made these statements about power and truth referring to BJP, not about himself.

created: November 18, 2022


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Rahul Gandhi did not announce that the I.N.D.I.A alliance would reduce reservations by 50% if they are voted to power - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 7, 2024
A post claiming Rahul Gandhi stated that “If I.N.D.I.A. alliance comes into power, they will remove reservations by 50%.” Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Rahul Gandhi announced that the I.N.D.I.A alliance would reduce reservations by 50% if they are voted to power.
Fact: Rahul Gandhi stated that “Not more than 50 percent reservation is given under existing provisions. The Congress government or I.N.D.I.A government will remove the 50 percent cap on the reservations” if they are voted to power while addressing a rally in Ranchi, Jharkhand during Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On performing a relevant keyword search regarding the claim, we found that Rahul Gandhi delivered a speech about reservations while addressing a rally in Ranchi, Jharkhand during his Manipur to Maharashtra Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.
While Rahul Gandhi was talking about the nationwide caste census, he stated that “Not more than 50 percent reservation is given under existing provisions. The Congress government or I.N.D.I.A government will remove the 50 percent cap on the reservations” if they are voted to power after the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Numerous news reports were published covering his speech in Jharkhand (here, here, and here).
To sum up, Rahul Gandhi did not announce that the I.N.D.I.A alliance would reduce reservations by 50% if they are voted to power.

created: February 7, 2024


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Rahul Gandhi did not call himself a fool in this video - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 8, 2020
A post with a video in which Rahul Gandhi calls himself a fool is being widely shared on social media. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Rahul Gandhi calling himself a fool.
Fact: Rahul Gandhi in his speech in OBC Sammelan back in 2018 quoted a conversation between him and an NDA MP  in which the MP called himself the biggest fool for supporting Modi. That part of the speech is selectively trimmed so as to look like Rahul Gandhi called himself a fool. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Google search with the keywords ‘Rahul Gandhi calls himself a fool’ led us to a lengthier version of a YouTube video in which Rahul Gandhi can be heard uttering the words in the post. This video is shared on Rahul Gandhi’s official YouTube channel, and the video is of Rahul Gandhi’s speech addressing the OBC Sammelan which was held in New Delhi back in 2018.
In the video, Rahul Gandhi was actually referring to a conversation between him and an NDA MP which happened at the Loksabha Sabha corridors during which the MP called himself the biggest fool in the country for supporting Narendra Modi.
To sum it up, a speech of Rahul Gandhi is selectively trimmed and being circulated so as to look like he called himself a fool.

created: October 8, 2020


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Rahul Gandhi did not promise an annual amount of Rs 1 lakh to unemployed youth who spend time on social media - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 23, 2024
A video of Rahul Gandhi’s speech where he promises to credit an annual sum of Rs. 1 Lakh for those youth who are surfing on Facebook, Instagram, etc. is being shared on social media (here, here, and here). Let’s verify the viral video shared.
Claim: Rahul Gandhi’s speech promised to credit an annual sum of Rs. 1 Lakh for those youth who are surfing on social media.
Fact: This clip is from Rahul Gandhi’s election campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Bhagalpur, Bihar on 20 April 2024. At the 10:59 timestamp, he discussed the Congress manifesto’s apprenticeship scheme, termed “Pehli Naukri Pakki.” He explained that “under this scheme, all graduates and diploma holders in India would be granted the right to an apprenticeship. This entails providing every youth in India with the opportunity for their initial job experience. Similar to the rights provided by MNREGA for earning, graduates would be entitled to a one-year apprenticeship, during which Rs. 1,00,000 annually would be deposited into their bank accounts, equivalent to Rs. 8,500 per month. If they perform well during this period, they will be eligible for permanent employment.” The viral video is clipped from 12:40 to 12:57 timestamps and shared on social media. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
On performing the reverse image search using the keyframes of the viral video, we found the live-streamed video of Rahul Gandhi’s speech on his official YouTube channel. This video was published during his election campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Bhagalpur, Bihar on 20 April 2024.
On observing the video, we found that at 9:30 timestamp, Gandhi started speaking about unemployment under PM Modi’s government. Gandhi’s statement goes, “Under Narendra Modi’s leadership, India has become a hub of unemployment. If you ask any young person what they do, they’ll likely say they’re not employed. Instead, they spend seven to eight hours on Instagram and Facebook. Why? Because unemployment has become widespread under Narendra Modi’s tenure.”
Further, he discussed apprenticeship, noting that wealthy individuals secure these opportunities while the less affluent in the nation are unable to access such programs. At the 10:59 timestamp, he discussed the Congress manifesto’s (archived) apprenticeship scheme, termed “Pehli Naukri Pakki.” He explained that “under this scheme, all graduates and diploma holders in India would be granted the right to an apprenticeship. This entails providing every youth in India with the opportunity for their initial job experience. Similar to the rights provided by MNREGA for earning, graduates would be entitled to a one-year apprenticeship, during which Rs. 1,00,000 annually would be deposited into their bank accounts, equivalent to Rs. 8,500 per month. If they perform well during this period, they will be eligible for permanent employment. These apprenticeship opportunities would be available across various sectors, including the private, public, and government sectors. This initiative aims to provide training to millions of young individuals, thereby equipping India with a skilled workforce.”
He reiterated that “under the apprenticeship scheme, Rs. 1 lakh would be offered annually, with Rs. 8500 deposited into the accounts of young individuals who are currently unemployed and spend their time browsing social media” from the 12:40 to 12:57 timestamps. This portion is clipped and shared on social media.
To sum up, Rahul Gandhi did not promise an annual amount of Rs. 1 lakh to unemployed youth who spend time on social media but explained the apprenticeship scheme mentioned in the Congress Manifesto.


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Rahul Gandhi did not say that Sonia Gandhi’s father spent 15 years in jail for India’s cause - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 3, 2022
A post is being shared widely on social media with a claim that Rahul Gandhi said that his maternal grandfather (Sonia Gandhi’s father) spent 15 years in jail for the cause of India. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Rahul Gandhi said that his maternal grandfather spent 15 years in jail for the cause of India.
Fact: In his recent speech in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi spoke about his great-grandfather, grandmother, and father. He mentioned that his great-grandfather Nehru had spent 15 years in jail for India’s cause. He did not talk about his maternal grandfather (Sonia Gandhi’s father). Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
With the claim in the post, a screenshot of ‘Aaj Tak’ news is being shared. On watching the video (archived) posted by ‘Aaj Tak’ YouTube channel, it was found that they actually wrote ‘नाना’ in their news. However, in the video, one can hear that Rahul Gandhi say ‘great-grandfather’ in English (regarding Nehru), not ‘grandfather’/ ‘नाना’ (maternal side – Sonia Gandhi’s father). Also, in the ‘Aaj Tak’ news article, it is written that Rahul Gandhi spoke about his great-grandfather (‘परनाना’). Several news articles have also reported that Rahul Gandhi spoke about his great-grandfather Nehru spending 15 years in jail for the cause of India’s freedom. They can be read here and here.
Also, in the Lok Sabha debate documents, it can be found that Rahul Gandhi mentioned his great-grandfather, grandmother, and father in his speech. He did not talk about his maternal grandfather (Sonia Gandhi’s father).
To sum it up, Rahul Gandhi did not say that Sonia Gandhi’s father spent 15 years in jail for India’s cause. He said that his great-grandfather Nehru spent 15 years in jail.

created: February 3, 2022


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Rahul Gandhi did not tweet about reopening of schools and colleges on odd/even basis - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 27, 2020
A screenshot of a tweet purportedly made by Rahul Gandhi is being shared on social media. The text in the tweet is as follows – ‘Schools and colleges must reopen from 1st June on odd/even basis. Odd days teachers will come and even days, students will come’.  Let’s fact-check if Rahul Gandhi made any such tweet.
Rahul Gandhi tweeted – ‘Schools and colleges must reopen from 1st June on odd/even basis. Odd days teachers will come and even days, students will come’.
Fact: Rahul Gandhi has not made any tweet about the reopening of schools and colleges on odd/even basis. On comparing the tweet in the screenshot with a random tweet on Twitter, text orientation differences can be seen. So, the tweet in the screenshot is digitally created using a tool like ‘Photoshop’. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When Twitter Advanced Search is performed on the official Twitter account of Rahul Gandhi using keywords from the post, no relevant result was obtained in the search process. But, when the tweet in the screenshot is compared with an actual tweet made by Rahul Gandhi on Twitter, many differences were found.
Hence, the tweet in the post is a digitally created one, and Rahul Gandhi did not tweet about the reopening of schools and colleges on odd/even basis.
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Rahul Gandhi did not tweet congratulating Kerala Mahila Congress president who tonsured her head - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 17, 2021
The Kerala Mahila Congress Chief Lathika Subhash recently got her head tonsured in front of the party office after being denied the party ticket for the assembly election. In this context, a social media post accompanying an image of a purported tweet by Rahul Gandhi congratulating Mahila Congress president of Kerala who tonsured her head is being widely shared across all social media platforms. The purported tweet also shares an image of Lathika. Through this article let’s fact-check the veracity of the claim.
Claim: Rahul Gandhi’s tweet congratulating Mahila Congress president of Kerala who tonsured her head.
Fact: There is no such tweet congratulating the Kerala Mahila Congress president on Rahul Gandhi’s timeline. The image shared in the purported tweet has straight edges and the tweet goes beyond the drop-down menu which is at the top right corner (vertical dots) of a tweet, which is not the case generally. This proves that the image of the tweet is digitally created. Further, there are no media reports about such a tweet by Rahul Gandhi congratulating the Kerala Mahila Congress president. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Twitter advance search with relevant keywords on Rahul Gandhi’s official twitter account did not yield any such tweet congratulating Mahila Congress president of Kerala who tonsured her head. Further, upon juxtaposing an image of an actual tweet by Rahul Gandhi which shared an image with that of the image in the post, we can find few discrepancies between the two.
When we share an image via a tweet, the image appears with curved edges. However, the image of the purported tweet has straight edges. Also, the alignment of the image in the purported tweet is different from that of the original alignment. The image shared in the purported tweet goes beyond the drop-down menu which is at the top right corner (vertical dots) of a tweet, which is not the case generally. Also, there are no media reports about such a tweet by Rahul Gandhi congratulating the Kerala Mahila Congress president. All these establish that the purported tweet is digitally created, and Rahul Gandhi did not tweet congratulating the Kerala Mahila Congress president who tonsured her head.
To sum it up, Rahul Gandhi did not tweet congratulating Kerala Mahila Congress president who tonsured her head.


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Rahul Gandhi has not referred to Sushant Singh Rajput as a cricketer in his tweet - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 16, 2020
A screenshot of a tweet purportedly posted by Rahul Gandhi is being shared on social media claiming that Rahul Gandhi referred to Sushant Singh Rajput as a cricketer in his tweet. Factly has found out that the tweet shared in the post is an edited one, Rahul Gandhi has not referred to Sushant as a cricketer. Sushant Singh Rajput, a well known Bollywood actor died on 14 June 2020 by suicide. Rahul Gandhi in response to Sushant’s untimely death posted a tweet on his official twitter account by referring to him as a talented actor. The word ‘actor’ in his tweet is replaced with ‘Cricketer’ and is being shared on social media. One can also notice that all the remaining words along with published time is the same in both these tweets.
Sources:
Claim –
1. Facebook post (Archived)
Fact –
1. Rahul Gandhi Tweet
https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/1272167327459508224
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Rahul Gandhi holds the Indian Constitution in this photo, not the Chinese Constitution - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 20, 2024
A photo (here, here, and here) of Rahul Gandhi holding a book with a red cover is doing the rounds on social media, claiming he is holding the Constitution of China. We fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: The red book Rahul Gandhi is seen holding in this photo is the Chinese constitution.
Fact: This photo was taken during a public meeting held by Rahul Gandhi in Gadwal, Telangana. The red book he holds in this photo is actually the Constitution of India, not the Chinese Constitution. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
To check the veracity of this claim, we performed a reverse image search on the internet leading us to a few news reports that contained the same photo. Some (here and here)of these reports were about a public meeting held in Gadwal, Telangana, on 5 May 2024.
During his address at this election meeting held in the Nagarkurnool Lok Sabha Constituency, Rahul Gandhi displayed a pocket-sized copy of the Constitution of India.
We found( archive link) the same photo on the Press Trust of India’s website, with a caption that reads ‘… Gadwal: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses during a public meeting for Lok Sabha polls in Gadwal, Telangana, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (PTI Photo)’
In his speech, which is available on the official verified YouTube channel of Rahul Gandhi, you can see him holding the Constitution of India at the 27:52 time stamp.
In this video, he can be seen showing the Indian Constitution after he says, ‘‘If the poor, backward classes, Dalits and Adivasis gained something  in the country, it is because of this book, which is our Constitution.’’
This evidence contradicts the viral claim that he holds the Chinese constitution in this photo.
To learn more about the Constitution with a red cover, we performed a keyword search on the internet. Through this search, we found that a ‘Coat Pocket edition’ of the Indian Constitution by Gopal Sankaranarayanan, published by the Eastern Book Company (EBC), is available for sale online (here and here). This resembles the one held by Rahul Gandhi in the Gadwal meeting.
Further, Amit Shah, PM Modi, and the former President of India have also held the same pocket-size Indian Constitution in the past (here, here and here)
To sum up, a photo of Rahul Gandhi holding the Indian Constitution is falsely shared as visuals of him holding the ‘Chinese Constitution.’


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Rahul Gandhi immediately corrected himself after mentioning litre as the unit of measure for Atta - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 7, 2022
A video of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is being widely shared on social media claiming that Rahul Gandhi had stated ‘litre’ as the unit of measure for Atta (Wheat flour). In the video, Rahul Gandhi was seen saying, “Atta was Rs 22 per litre. Today it is Rs 40 per litre”. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Rahul Gandhi stating ‘litre’ as the unit of measure for Atta (Wheat flour).
Fact: Rahul Gandhi indeed misstated the units of Atta in litres while comparing the prices of different commodities at the ‘Halla Bol’ rally, held on 04 September 2022 in New Delhi. But Rahul Gandhi immediately corrected his mistake and said it is measured in kilograms. The clipped video shared in the post did not show the portion of Rahul Gandhi correcting his mistake. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When we searched for the details of the video using relevant keywords on the internet, an extended version of the video is found in a tweet made by ‘ANI’ on 04 September 2022. ANI tweeted the video stating, “Congress MP Rahul Gandhi talks about price rise in petrol, diesel and Atta, during the party’s ‘Halla Bol’ rally against inflation”. From 0:39 minutes of the video, Rahul Gandhi was seen saying, “Atta was Rs 22 per litre. Today it is Rs 40 per litre. Ahh… Kg”.
#WATCH Congress MP Rahul Gandhi talks about price rise in petrol, diesel and Atta, during the party's 'Halla Bol' rally against inflation pic.twitter.com/qpf1Mg7pTv
The full video of the ‘Hall Bol’ rally was published on the Indian National Congress YouTube channel, on 04 September 2022. From the 1:52:14 time stamp of the video, Rahul Gandhi was seen saying, “In 2014, LPG gas cylinder price was 410 rupees. Today it was 1050 rupees. Petrol was Rs 70 per litre. Today it was almost Rs 100 per litre. Diesel was Rs 55 per litre, today it is Rs 90 per litre. Mustard oil was Rs 90 per litre, today it is Rs 200 per litre. Milk was Rs 35 per litre, today it is Rs 60 per litre. Atta was Rs 22 per litre, today it is Rs 40 per litre. Ahh…Kg”. While comparing the prices of various commodities in 2014 & now,  Rahul Gandhi misstated Atta unit as litre. But he immediately corrected his mistake and said it is measured in kilograms (kgs). The clipped video shared in the post did not show the portion of Rahul Gandhi correcting his mistake.
The Indian National Congress YouTube channel published another video specifically showing only Rahul Gandhi’s speech at the Halla Bol rally. This video clipped the portion of Rahul Rahul Gandhi’s statement, “Atta was Rs 22 per litre. Today it is Rs 40 per litre”, and projected as if he had stated the unit of Atta in kilogram.
To sum it up, Rahul Gandhi indeed mentioned the unit of measure of Atta as litre but he immediately corrected his mistake and said it was measured in kilograms.

created: September 7, 2022


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Rahul Gandhi made comments regarding potato chips and tomato ketchup in the context of food processing units - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 15, 2022
A post is being shared on social media with a claim that Rahul Gandhi asked farmers to grow chips and ketchup in place of potatoes and tomatoes. The post also claims that Rajiv Gandhi made a similar comment on chillies. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Rahul Gandhi asked farmers to grow chips and ketchup in place of potatoes and tomatoes.
Fact:  In his recent speech at a rally in Hoshiarpur (Punjab), Rahul Gandhi was trying to convey that whatever one produces, everything can be manufactured in the food parks, be it potato chips or tomato ketchup. He mistakenly jumbled the words and later corrected himself to go onto say – “You will produce material on your land – you will directly take it to a food processing unit – potato, tomato, chillies, anything you produce – directly you will get money in your pocket”. Only a part of his speech on food-processing has been shared in the post. Hence, the post is MISLEADING.
When we searched on the internet to check if Rahul Gandhi made any such comments, many news articles regarding his similar comments at a recent rally in Hoshiarpur (Punjab) were found in the search results. ‘ANI’ has tweeted a clip from Rahul Gandhi’s speech at the rally and quoted him (English translation) – “…Whatever you grow in food park, be it potato chips or tomato ketchup, everything can be manufactured by directly transferring your produce from farms to food processing unit“. If one observes the video, Rahul Gandhi spoke with some pauses. He was trying to convey that whatever one produces, everything can be manufactured in the food parks, be it potato chips or tomato ketchup. He mistakenly jumbled the words and later corrected himself to go onto say – “You will produce material on your land – you will directly take it to food-processing unit – potato, tomato, chillies, anything you produce – directly you will get money in your pocket” (English translation). Rahul Gandhi’s full speech at the Hoshiarpur rally can be watched here.
Coming to Rajiv Gandhi’s comments mentioned in the post, while we could not find any authentic old evidence, many recent news articles mentioned his comments on chillies. PM Modi also mentioned it indirectly in one of his speeches. According to ‘ANI’, Rajiv Gandhi was once told that red chillies are costlier than green chillies, so he reportedly asked the farmers – “Why are you growing ‘green’ chilli pepper when it is the red variety that can fetch you higher margins?“
To sum it up, Rahul Gandhi made comments regarding potato chips and tomato ketchup in the context of food processing units.

created: February 15, 2022


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Rahul Gandhi mentions various sources, not just Islam, from where Mahatma Gandhi picked up the idea of non-violence - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 11, 2021
A video is being shared widely on social media with a claim that Rahul Gandhi in his speech said – ‘Mahatma Gandhi picked up non-violence from Islam’. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video shows Rahul Gandhi saying that Mahatma Gandhi picked up non-violence from Islam.
Fact: It is a clipped video. In the full video, it can be seen that Rahul Gandhi mentions several sources (‘from our great religions, from our great teachers……from ancient Indian philosophy, from Islam, from Christianity, from Judaism, from every great religion, where it is clearly written that violence will not help anyone achieve anything’) from where Mahatma Gandhi has picked up the idea of non-violence. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When the screenshots of the video were run through Google Reverse Image, a similar visual was found to be posted by ‘ANI’ in their tweet regarding Rahul Gandhi’s speech in Dubai in January 2019.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Dubai: Single biggest problem that we face in India today is unemployment. We need to take this head-on. We need to show the rest of the world that not only we can beat unemployment but we can also challenge China. pic.twitter.com/aK18QnHl8f
So, when we searched on the internet with the relevant keywords, the extended version of the posted video was found to uploaded by the ‘Indian National Congress’ YouTube channel in January 2019 with the title – ‘Congress President Rahul Gandhi addresses Indian diaspora in Dubai’. In the full video, it can be seen that Rahul Gandhi says – ‘Mahatma Gandhi picked up the idea of non-violence from our great religions, from our great teachers. Mahatma Gandhi picked up the idea of non-violence from ancient Indian philosophy, from Islam, from Christianity, from Judaism, from every great religion, where it is clearly written that violence will not help anyone achieve anything.’ So, he mentions the names of other religions, not just Islam.  The posted video has been clipped conveniently to leave out his other words.
To sum it up, a clipped video misleads that Rahul Gandhi just said, ‘Mahatma Gandhi picked up non-violence from Islam’.


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Rahul Gandhi's discussion on caste census is edited to suggest he advocates wealth redistribution solely to minorities - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 24, 2024
A video is being shared online featuring Rahul Gandhi, where he purportedly asserts that his plan involves redistributing the nation’s wealth among minorities (here & here). In the 42-second clip, Gandhi is heard stating that a comprehensive “X-ray of the country” will reveal to minorities their exact share in national wealth. He mentions conducting a financial and institutional survey to determine which demographic currently possesses the wealth of India, followed by a “revolutionary” initiative to redistribute resources fairly. This article aims to verify the authenticity of the video and the claim linked to it.
Claim: Video of Rahul Gandhi claiming to redistribute the wealth of the nation among the minorities.
Fact: The complete video reveals that Rahul Gandhi discussed caste census and wealth redistribution among backward classes, Dalits, Adivasis, economically backward general castes, and minorities. However, this part of his speech is edited to make it appear as though he focused exclusively on minorities. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
Recently, headlines have been dominated by statements from Prime Minister Modi suggesting that Congress party plans to redistribute India’s wealth to those who have more children, allegedly referring to a particular community. It is in this context that a video has been shared alleging Rahul Gandhi’s plans to redistribute the nation’s wealth solely among minorities.
A Google search using relevant keywords led us to the complete footage of the video on Rahul Gandhi’s official YouTube channel. He gave this speech in Hyderabad during the launch of the Congress party’s manifesto. From the full speech, it is evident that Rahul Gandhi was referring to the implementation of a Socio-Economic and Caste Census. Following this, backward classes, Dalits, Adivasis, economically backward general castes, and minorities would have the opportunity to understand their respective contribution to the country.
At the 31:25 mark in the video, Rahul Gandhi speaks in Hindi. A rough translation of his words is: “When our government comes into power, we will extend the caste census, similar to what was done in Telangana, to the entire country. We will conduct a comprehensive scan of the nation. As a result, backward classes, Dalits, tribals, the economically poor from the general category, and minorities will understand their respective shares in the country’s resources.”
News articles that reported Rahul Gandhi’s statements can be viewed here and here. From this, it is clear that the segment where Gandhi mentions “lower backward classes, Dalits, and tribals, the poor general caste people” has been omitted, and only the word “minorities” is retained in the viral clip.
To sum it up, Rahul Gandhi’s discussion on caste census is edited to suggest he advocates wealth redistribution solely among minorities.


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Rahul Gandhi’s name was not misspelt on the Congress Poster. The image has been photoshopped. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 9, 2019
A post with an image of a Congress poster is being shared on Facebook claiming that Rahul Gandhi’s name has been misspelt on the poster. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
A Congress poster in Wayanad (Kerala) misspelt Rahul Gandhi name as ‘Rahul Gandu’.
Fact: The photo of the poster has been taken in Telangana, not Kerala. Also, the photo has been photoshopped. In the actual photo, it can be seen that Rahul Gandhi name has not been misspelt. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
If the leaders in the poster are clearly observed, it can be found that they are Telangana Congress leaders (Sudheer Reddy at the bottom right and Uttam Kumar at the top right), not Kerala Congress leaders. So, the poster is from Telangana, not Wayanad (Kerala). When the posted picture is run through Yandex Reverse Image Search, a Telugu article published last year on this issue can be found in the search results. So, this image has been in circulation before Rahul filed his nomination in Wayanad. According to that article, the picture was photoshopped to change the name ‘Gandhi’ to ‘Gandu’. The original photo can be found in that article. Also, on the official Facebook account of Sudheer Reddy, a video posted last year shows the same flexi, in which the name was found to be correctly spelt.
To sum it up, Rahul Gandhi’s name was not misspelt on the Congress Poster. The image has been photoshopped.


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Rahul Gandhi's speech clipped to falsely imply saying 'Bharat Mata ki jai' and 'Jai Shree Ram' causes hunger. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 27, 2024
A video clip of Rahul Gandhi is widely circulating on social media platforms with the claim that Rahul Gandhi said people will die of hunger by saying ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ and ‘Jai Shree Ram’. This article aims to fact-check the claim in the post.
Claim: Rahul Gandhi said people will die of hunger by saying ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ and ‘Jai Shree Ram’.
Fact: Rahul Gandhi addressed a public meeting in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, during the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra’ on 19 February 2024. The original video of Rahul Gandhi’s speech has been clipped between timestamp 26:22 to 26:29 and from timestamp 26:59 to 27:10, and shared with a false narrative, distorting the context of his speech. Originally, Rahul Gandhi made these statements while criticizing the Central Government on the issue of unemployment. Hence, the claim in the post is FALSE.
To verify the authenticity of the viral video, we conducted a relevant keyword search on the internet and found the complete video of this public meeting on the official YouTube channel of the Indian National Congress. This public meeting was live-streamed on 19 February 2024 with the title: “Shri Mallikarjun Kharge and Shri Rahul Gandhi address the public in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh.” The meeting took place in Amethi during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. If one carefully watches this full-length video, the context of Rahul Gandhi’s words is clear.
Upon careful review of the entire video, we discovered that the original video was edited between timestamps 26:22 to 26:29 and from timestamps 26:59 to 27:10. Hence, the context of his comments was missing in the viral video. Originally, Rahul Gandhi made these statements while criticizing the Central Government on the issue of unemployment. In his speech, Rahul Gandhi said, “In the inauguration ceremony of the Ram Temple, did you see a Dalit, did you see a farmer? The President of India was not allowed inside, did you see a farmer or labourer? You have seen Adani, you have seen Ambani, you have seen Amitabh Bachchan, your Hindustan does not exist. Your job is to say, ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Jai Shri Ram’. Their (Adani and Ambani) job is to count money, their job is to fly in a private plane, their job is to have fun, your job is to look here and there, look there brother, Pakistan, look there brother Amitabh Bachchan has performed a new dance, keep doing it brother, keep doing it… do as much as you want, have fun, everyone will die of hunger, everyone will die of hunger, everyone’s time will come, no one will be left… everyone will die of hunger.” (Translation from Hindi to English).
Other news reports covering Rahul Gandhi’s statements can be seen here and here. Therefore, it can be inferred that an incomplete video of Rahul Gandhi’s speech has been taken out of context, falsely suggesting that he said people will die of hunger by chanting ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ and ‘jai Shree Ram’.
To sum it up, the selective excerpts from Rahul Gandhi’s speech have been taken out of context, falsely implying that he stated people would die of hunger for uttering ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ and ‘Jai Shree Ram’.

created: February 27, 2024