Video of Rahul Gandhi edited to claim he didn't accept idol of Hindu deity

By: Chandan Borgohain
March 15 2024

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Social media posts falsely accuse Rahul Gandhi of insulting a Hindu deity. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held a massive roadshow in Maharastra’s Nashik on Thursday as part of his ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ (Indian Unity and Justice March) ahead of India’s upcoming elections to the Lok Sabha. The march commenced on January 24 in the northereastern Indian state of Manipur and is set to conclude in Mumbai city in the west on March 20.

What is the claim?

A video showing Gandhi being felicitated on stage has been widely shared on social media claiming that the Congress leader disrespected the sentiments of Hindu devotees by refusing to accept the idol of a Hindu deity. In the clip, a man wearing a saffron kurta (a traditional Indian shirt) can be seen holding an idol of a Hindu deity, seemingly offering it to Gandhi, who does not appear to respond to his gestures.

Sharing the video (archived here) on X, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT cell chief Amit Malviya wrote, “Rahul Gandhi refuses to accept idol of Bhagwan Vitthal on stage. This is an insult of not just the Warkaris but millions of Hindu devotees, who revere the Lord. From DMK to the Congress, Hindu hate is what binds the I.N.D.I Alliance. Rahul Gandhi suffers from Hindumisia.” The post shared on March 14 has gained over 362,000 views and 3,900 reshares. 

Hindi media outlet Republic Bharat also used Malviya’s post to write a report alleging that Gandhi had refused to accept the idol. The archived versions of the report and a similar X post can be seen here and here.

Screenshots of the viral video shared online. (Source: Republic Bharat/X/Screenshots)

The X account of the BJP’s Maharashtra unit meanwhile shared a slightly longer version of the same clip (archived here), criticizing Gandhi for “insulting” the idol of the Hindu deity ‘Vitthal.’ The overlaid text shared on the clip by BJP Maharashtra reads, “Refused to take Panduranga’s idol, he did not even touch the idol. Removed the honour turban in a few seconds. His chamchas are to be (blamed) not him. Thu thu (spitting) on your life.” (Translated from Marathi) 

However, we found that the video has been clipped. In the longer version of the video, Gandhi can be seen accepting the idol offered to him on the stage. 

What did we find?

A reverse image search on one of the keyframes of the video led us to an X post by the president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee Nana Patole on March 14. Patole shared a different clip from the same event to point out that the viral video has been clipped. At the 0:19 timestamp of the video, Gandhi can clearly be seen accepting the idol offered by the same man in the saffron kurta, along with another man in a while shirt.

A rough translation of Patole’s post from Marathi reads, "We are the worshippers of Ram, these people are traders of Ram" - these lines from the abhang (devotional song) by Sant Janabai is very apt for BJP people. How to break up a party and how to share a video by distorting is what corrupt BJP and its 40-paise IT cell takes great satisfaction in. Rahulji accepted the Vithoba idol and the respect that he got with it.”

Based on this, we looked for the footage of the event on YouTube and came across a 1:17:14-long video uploaded on Rahul Gandhi’s official YouTube channel on March 14 with the title “Farmers Meeting | Nashik | Maharashtra | Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.” 

The original footage clearly shows that the viral video was clipped to exclude the portion showing Gandhi accepting the idol. The viral clip starts at around the 16:30 mark, showing the man holding the idol while the Congress leader is being felicitated on the stage. However, later on, at the 17:29 mark of the same video, Gandhi accepts the idol and poses for a photograph with it. 

Screenshot of the YouTube video showing Rahul Gandhi accepting the idol offered to him. (Source: YouTube/Rahul Gandhi/Screenshot)

Right after Gandhi accepts the idol, the video also shows him being offered a book. That too, he accepts after some time, similar to his actions with the idol.

The verdict

The viral video has been clipped to falsely claim that the Congress leader refused to accept an idol of a Hindu deity. The longer version of the video clearly shows Gandhi accepting the idol offered to him. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.