Fact Check: An edited video of Rahul Gandhi is shared as him appealing to vote for the BJP

A video of Rahul Gandhi appealing to voters to protect the Constitution and democracy ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is being shared on social media (here, here, and here), claiming that Gandhi is urging voters to support the BJP. In the video, Gandhi says, “This election is crucial for saving democracy and the Constitution. On one side, the Congress Party and India Alliance are destroying both. On the other side, the RSS and BJP are committed to protecting the Constitution and the public system. While Congress has made 20-25 people billionaires, Modi ji aims to make millions of women and youth millionaires. Support BJP and RSS to save the Constitution. Press the button for Narendra Modi ji.” Let’s verify the claim made in the post.

Claim: Rahul Gandhi appealed to the public to vote for the BJP and protect democracy ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Fact: The video is edited by swapping the terms ‘Congress and India Alliance’ with ‘RSS and BJP or Modi.’ This made it seem as if Rahul Gandhi was asking for votes for the BJP. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.

On performing a reverse image search using the keyframes of the video, we found the full version of the video on ‘The New Indian Express’ YouTube channel, titled ‘Rahul Gandhi appeals to voters in Lok Sabha elections 2024,’ published on 25 April 2024. This was also shared on Gandhi’s official YouTube channel (here and here).

Upon reviewing the full video, we discovered that it was edited by swapping the terms ‘Congress and India Alliance’ with ‘RSS and BJP or Modi.’ This made it seem as if Rahul Gandhi was asking for votes for the BJP. In the original Video, Gandhi appealed that “This election is crucial for saving our democracy and upholding the Constitution. On one side, we have the Congress and the India Alliance striving to protect these values, while on the other, the RSS and BJP are attempting to undermine the Constitution and our public systems. We started a journey from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, covering 4,000 kilometers on foot, and travelled from Manipur to Maharashtra. Through these interactions, Congress has crafted a revolutionary manifesto based on your voices and concerns. It promises five key guarantees. While Modi ji has created 20-25 billionaires, Congress aims to empower millions of women and youth. We pledge a guaranteed MSP to farmers and will waive off their loans. Workers will receive a minimum wage of Rs 4000. This manifesto is designed to transform the nation. Support Congress, save the Constitution, and press the hand button.”

To sum up, an edited video of Raul Gandhi is shared as he is appealing to vote for the BJP.

The Fact Check was first published by Factly and then republished by Deccan Chronicle as part of Shakti Collective.