Are Supriya Sule & Bal Thackeray Related? No, Just a Viral Hoax

Sadanand Sule’s mother was Shashi Bhatt who passed away in 1964 when he was just two years old.

An image falsely claimed that NCP leader Supriya Sule is the daughter-in-law of Bal Thackeray’s sister.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

CLAIM

Soon after Sena-NCP-Congress alliance (Maha Vikas Aghadi) formed the government in Maharashtra, an image claiming that NCP leader Supriya Sule is the daughter-in-law of Bal Thackeray’s sister Sudha Sule surfaced on the internet.

The image mentions a family tree, according to which, Sadanand Sule, husband of Supriya Sule, is believed to be the son of Sudha Balachandra Sule, who is Bal Thackeray’s sister.

The Quint received a query on its WhatsApp helpline on the claim made in the image.

Several social media users shared the same claim on Twitter.

WHAT’S THE TRUTH?

Supriya Sule is married to Sadanand Sule who is the son of the former Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra Bhalchandra R Sule.

We then searched on Google using keywords ‘Sudha Bhalchandra Sule’ which led us to an obituary of Bhalchandra R Sule that was published on Mahindra & Mahindra’s website.

As per the obituary, BR Sule’s wife is Anne Sule and not Sudha Bhalachandra Sule, as claimed. An excerpt from the obituary reads: “After his retirement 13 years later in 2003, at the age of 78, he had a stroke and went into a coma, struggling for survival. I believe it was his wife, Mrs Anne Sule’s determination and Mr Sule’s fighting spirit together with the prayers of his family and friends that saw him recover, and after years of physiotherapy he was back on his feet.”

But Anne Sule isn’t Sadanand Sule’s mother. She is BR Sule’s second wife. In the book ‘Contemporary Political Leadership in India: Sharad Pawar, the Maratha legacy,’ it is mentioned that Sadanand’s mother is Shashi Bhatt, who died of cancer in 1964, when Sadanand was two years old.

In a book, it is mentioned that Shashi Bhatt is the mother of Sadanand Sule, who died of cancer in 1964.

NCP LEADER, CLOSE AIDE TO THACKERAY DENY CLAIMS

Speaking to The Quint, NCP MLA and grand nephew of Sharad Pawar, Rohit Pawar denied the claim made in the image that is being circulated.

‘Chandu mama,’ uncle of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray told The Quint that Sudha Sule is the sister of Bal Thackeray, however, the claim made in the image is false.

MEDIA OUTLETS GOT IT WRONG

Several media outlets like Dainik Bhaskar, News18 Hindi, Asianet News Hindi fell for the hoax and published articles on it.

News18 Hindi published an article on 26 November mentioning the claim made in the hoax.

Asianet News Hindi published an article on 26 November mentioning the claim made in the hoax.

Dainik Bhaskar published an article on 30 June 2016 mentioning the claim made in the hoax.

(This story was first debunked by Alt News.)

(With inputs from Raunak Kukde)

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