A photograph of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, seated next to a statute of former Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at a desk, is being widely shared on social media.
The posts sharing this photo claim that Kumar placed the statue on his chief ministerial seat, saying that he would carry out his duties as chief minister seated next to the statue.
However, the claim is false. The photo dates back to October 2019, when Nitish Kumar inaugurated a photo exhibition on Patel, on the occasion of the leader's 144th birth anniversary at the Shri Krishna Science Centre in Patna, Bihar.
CLAIM
The photo is being shared with text in Hindi, which reads –
"बिहार के मुख्यमंत्री ने अपने कुर्सी पर बैठाया लौह पुरुष सरदार बल्लभ भाई पटेल की अद्भुत प्रतिमा और बोले बगल की कुर्सी पर बैठकर निभाऊंगा मुख्यमंत्री का कर्तव्य । नई सोच से पुराने आदर्शो का निर्वाहन करते हुए भारतबर्ष का पहला मुख्यमंत्री ।"
[Translation: Bihar's chief minister placed an incredible statue of 'Iron Man' Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his seat, and said that he would carry out his duties as the chief minister seated next to the statue. The first chief minister in India to carry out old ideals with new thinking.]
An archived version of this post can be seen here.
(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)
WHAT WE FOUND
We ran a reverse image search on Google, and came across an article by Hindi news portal Live Hindustan, dated 31 October 2019. This article carried a similar photo as the one in the claim.
The photos show multiple similarities.
(Source: Twitter/Live Hindustan/Altered by The Quint)
Here, one can see many similar elements in the images, including Kumar's and Patel's outfits.
Photos of Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Rajendra Prasad are seen on the walls in both stills, and the placement on pens, files, and a finger sponge on the table are the same.
As per this article, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar visited a photo exhibition on the life of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on 31 October 2019, which marked Patel's 144th birth anniversary.
It mentioned that Kumar visited the exhibition at the Shri Krishna Science Center in Patna, and learned about Patel's work – such as the integration of princely states, his speeches, and the era of partition. Additionally, Kumar saw the statue in the picture, and directed it to be displayed in a better manner.
We also came across a tweet shared by Nitish Kumar's verified Twitter account on the same day, along with a press release issued by the chief minister's office.
The science centre's website also carries a photo of Kumar's visit.
As per an article published by the Times of India in September 2019, the exhibition was titled 'Uniting India: Sardar Patel' and was open for visitation in October that year. The exhibit's curator Ram Swaroop, told TOI that it would display some "lifelike sculptures and rare photographs."
Clearly, the claim about Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar placing a statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in his office, to carry out his duties seated next to the statue is false.
The photograph shows Kumar visiting a photo exhibition on Patel's life at Shri Krishna Science Center in Patna, Bihar.
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