Old video shared to claim Rahul Gandhi ate non vegetarian during month of ‘Sawan’

By: Rahul Adhikari
July 17 2023

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Context

A video has been circulating on social media, claiming that it shows Congress leader Rahul Gandhi eating non-vegetarian food during the month of Sawan. ‘Sawan’ is a sacred month in the Hindu calendar dedicated to Lord Shiva. Devotees fast, offer prayers, and engage in religious activities to seek blessings and fulfilment of their wishes. Many Hindus eat only vegetarian food during this month as part of their worship.

The viral video shows Gandhi stepping out of a car and entering a restaurant. He is seen seated at a table, eating, while a crowd surrounds him, with some individuals capturing the moment. The Twitter video consists of a clip and then still photos of Gandhi. A user name Manjeet Singh shared the video on Twitter with the caption, "Rahul Gandhi reached to eat non-veg in the month of #Sawan 😤😤😤😠😠😟 That's why people said seasonal #Hindu Hanuman ji" The post has gained over 95k views and 109 likes. An archived version of the post can be found here.

However, the claim is false. A video of Gandhi eating at a restaurant in April was shared as a recent incident.

In Fact

After conducting a reverse image search, we found that the video was actually recorded on April 18 when the Congress leader visited Old Delhi to explore various food delicacies. Similar footage was uploaded on India Today's YouTube channel on April 18 titled "Rahul Gandhi at Al Jawahar Restaurant, Jama Masjid." The visit took place before the Karnataka Assembly election and Gandhi was accompanied by food journalist Kunal Vijayakar. 

On April 22, a 20-minute-long video documenting the visit to Old Delhi was published on his official YouTube channel. At the 11:28-minute mark, Gandhi is seen exiting a car while wearing a blue t-shirt and proceeding to enter a restaurant called Al-Jawahar, as mentioned by Vijayakar later in the video. We compared the viral video with the YouTube video and noticed that both recordings captured the same incident. In the viral video, Gandhi emerges from a car wearing the same blue t-shirt and enters the Al-Jawahar restaurant. 

As this video was captured from a different angle, it provides a view of the restaurant sign as Gandhi enters. Additionally, a worker of the restaurant who appeared in the viral video, wearing a black kurta and skull cap, was also spotted in the 20-minute vlog. Furthermore, the person seated behind Gandhi at a separate table, dressed in a greyish green t-shirt, is also in both videos.

According to a report by The Indian Express, Gandhi visited Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi during the month of Ramzan. He also visited the famous "Mohabbat ka sharbat" stall and tried their popular watermelon-based drink. Gandhi also paid a visit to New Delhi’s Bengali market.

The Verdict

An old video of Gandhi eating at a restaurant on April 18 was falsely shared, claiming that the Congress leader ate non-vegetarian food during the month of 'Sawan.' Gandhi had actually visited Old Delhi during Ramzan and tried several famous dishes. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.