This Photo Doesn't Show Rahul Gandhi Drinking Alcohol During Bharat Jodo Yatra

The original image showed Rahul Gandhi having dry fruits and tea in Haryana.

Fact-Check: The image showing Rahul Gandhi having alcohol is edited.

(Photo: The Quint)

A photograph of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, which shows him eating dry fruits and chicken with what looks like a glass of alcohol, is going viral to take a dig at him.

The claim: Gandhi was seen drinking alcohol and having chicken during the yatra. People tried to take a dig at the leader over his 'tapasvi' comment and the row over him not wearing winter clothes.

An archive of the post can be found here.

The image is extremely viral on Facebook.

Image shared on Facebook multiple times.

The truth: The image was digitally altered to add the glass of alcohol and a plate of chicken legs. The original image showed Gandhi having tea (or milk) with dried fruits.

How did we find that out:

• We conducted a reverse image search on the viral image and found a similar image posted by senior journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta.

• The caption of the tweet said, "It was sheer coincidence: travelling to Punjab this morning, I crossed the Bharat Jodo Yatra. With some difficulty and a scuffle, I was able to meet Rahul Gandhi while he was eating at a dhaba a few kms from Karnal."

• We compared the two images and found that the viral image was digitally altered.

Comparison of the two images.

• We found that people in the background of the viral image and that posted by Guha Thakurta were the same.

• Paranjoy Guha Thakurta's tweet was included as the 'tweet of the day' in an article on the website of Bharat Jodo Yatra on 7 January.

Conclusion: The image has been edited to add a glass of alcohol and a plate of chicken.

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