Old Video of Suvendu Adhikari Clipped & Shared With False Communal Claim

The video shows CM Suvendu Adhikari telling villagers he would build a road only if they "changed their religion".

A clipped video of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has gone viral on the internet. 

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A video of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari is being widely shared on social media with the claim that he told villagers he would repair a road only if they "changed their religion" and that Hindus and Muslims were separated.

The claim: In the viral clip, local women are heard asking Adhikari's help to repair a road in their village. He is then heard saying that the road would only be built if they first changed their religion, with users claiming he made road construction conditional upon religious conversion.

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(Photo: Screenshot/Facebook)

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Is it true? No.

• The viral video has been edited.

• In the longer version of the video, Adhikari was speaking about alleged attacks on Hindu families following violence linked to a cooperative society election in Nandigram.

• His remarks about "changing religion" were made while discussing what he described as security concerns and not as a condition for constructing the road.

How did we find out the truth?

• We conducted a keyword search but found no credible reports suggesting that Adhikari had said he would construct a road only if villagers changed their religion.

• We then performed a reverse image search on some key frames from the viral clip, which led us to a longer version uploaded on the official YouTube channel of the West Bengal BJP on 26 January.

• The longer video shows Adhikari visiting Ranichak in Nandigram after BJP supporters alleged TMC workers attacked them during tensions surrounding a cooperative society election.

• While addressing the media, Adhikari alleged that Hindu families had been targeted by "jihadis" and "fundamentalists" backed by the TMC. He urged residents to install CCTV cameras, hoist flags outside Hindu homes, install loudspeakers in temples, distribute conch shells, and file complaints with relevant authorities.

• Later in the same video at around the , local women requested that he repair the village road.

• In response, Adhikari said: "First, I will ensure your safety. If you stay alive, the road will be built. You all need to be stronger... First, you have to survive; otherwise, you will have to change your religion."

• His statement was made in the context of his allegations about communal violence and residents' safety. He did not say that road construction would depend on people converting their religion.

Conclusion: An edited video is being shared with the false claim that Suvendu Adhikari said he would build a road only if villagers changed their religion.

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