By: Umme Kulsum
April 25 2024
Cropped video shared to claim BJP leader confirmed party will change the Constitution
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Screenshot of posts sharing a video showing MP Kirori Lal Meena saying BJP will change the Constitution. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)
Fact-Check
The Verdict Misleading
Rajasthan MLA Kirodi Lal was countering these allegations and said that the Congress was spreading rumors that the BJP would end reservations.
Claim ID 0aa6db5f
What’s the claim?
A nine-second video of Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Rajasthan Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) and cabinet minister, Kirodi Lal Meena, is widely circulating on social media with a claim that he confirmed the party would end reservations and change the Constitution if elected to power after the general elections.
An X (formerly Twitter) user shared the clip with a caption in Hindi which reads, “Rajasthan minister Kirodi Lal Meena is saying that if the party wins 400 seats, Modi ji will end reservations and change the Constitution (translated).” The post had over 72,000 views, and 1,000 reshares at the time of writing this story. Archived versions of such posts can be found here and here.
The video has also gained wide traction on Facebook. A user on Facebook wrote, “See Rajasthan minister Kirodilal Meena himself says that he will do 400 and end reservation and change the constitution too (sic).” The post was shared with the hashtag #ModiHataoDeshBachao. An archived version of such a post can be found here.
Screenshot of claims made online. (Source: X/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)
However, the viral video is cropped. A longer version shows him countering these allegations and saying that these 'rumors are being spread by the Opposition Congress'.
What we found
We noticed a logo of 'First India News' on the microphone and found a longer version of the interview on the channel's X account. The duration of the video (archive here) was 56 seconds.
In the video, Kirodi Lal Meena says, “There is a rumor the Congress party is spreading that if Modi ji wins over 400 seats in the elections, then he will end reservations and change the Constitution. This rumor is being shared across the country in a strategic manner to mislead innocent people and get their votes. Modi ji in Barmer has said that even if Bhimrao Ram Ambedkar comes back to life, he cannot change the Constitution."
This corroborates that he was responding to an allegation and not making an assertion.
The news portal also shared the same interview video on their official YouTube (archive here) channel on April 22, 2024.
Kirodi Lal Meena, too, shared the video on his official X account (archive here) and wrote in Hindi, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has clarified that nobody can end reservations. Some miscreants have distorted my comments and shared on social media. They should stop doing this, else I will take legal action."
The verdict
Rajasthan BJP MLA Kirodi Lal Meena was countering an allegation. He did not say the BJP aims to change the Constitution or end reservations. The video has been cropped to create the false narrative. Therefore, we have marked this claim as misleading.