Did Senior Cong Leader TS Singh Deo Fall at Rahul Gandhi’s Feet?
In the picture, Singh Deo can be seen bending near Rahul Gandhi’s feet as Manmohan Singh and other leaders look on.
(Editor’s note: This story was first published on 19 December 2018. It has been republished from The Quint’s archives as the picture has resurfaced with a fresh bogus claim that senior Congress leader Motilal Vohra touched Rahul Gandhi’s feet before assuming charge as the new Congress president.)
CLAIM
A viral photo on social media claims that senior Congress leader TS Singh Deo fell at the feet of Congress President Rahul Gandhi soon after taking oath as a cabinet minister in the newly-formed Congress government in Chhattisgarh.
In the picture, Singh Deo is seen bending near Gandhi's feet as Manmohan Singh and other leaders look on.
The photo has gone viral on several Facebook pages related to the BJP and PM Narendra Modi, with the message “48 साल का युवा 78 साल के बुजुर्ग को आशीर्वाद देते हुए”
The photo was also shared by several other pages like Post Card Fans, My Prime Minister Modi, Social Tamasha and I Support Modi Ji and BJP.
TRUE OR FALSE?
Well, the claim is false on two points. Firstly, he is not 78 years old, as claimed in the message accompanying the photo. Born in 1952, Singh Deo is currently 67 years old, as recorded in the affidavit filed by him for the state Assembly elections.
Secondly, while the photo certainly seems as though the senior leader was falling at the Congress scion's feet, it apparently was not so.
A senior journalist based out of Raipur, who incidentally was at the oath-talking ceremony, confirmed to The Quint that Singh Deo had not bent down to touch Gandhi's feet. In fact, the story is quite different.
Rajasthan Patrika, too, carried the viral photo with a small caption explaining the incident.
The daily had also zoomed into the photo to show the piece of thread that had fallen near Gandhi's feet.
BHUPESH BAGHEL SWORN IN AS CM
The new cabinet in Chhattisgarh was sworn in on Monday, 17 December, with Bhupesh Bagehl taking the mantle as chief minister. Senior leaders Tamradhwaj Sahu and TS Singh Deo were sworn in as ministers.
The party has not appointed any deputy chief minister for the state.
The Congress won a two-thirds majority in Chhattisgarh, bagging 68 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came second with only 15 seats, and Mayawati-Ajit Jogi’s JCC+ alliance managed to win in 7 constituencies.
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