An image of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar is going viral on the internet as a recent visual from the recent budget presented in the Parliament.
What have users said?: An X (formerly Twitter) user shared the image saying, "The Chief Election Commissioner refuses to meet the Opposition for months, claiming a busy schedule, yet finds time to visit the Finance Ministry. Is he advising on the Budget or taking orders..."
(Archives of similar such posts could be accessed here, here, and here.)
What are the facts?: The claim lacks proper context. The image is from February 2020, when Sitharaman had presented the budget for the financial year 2020-21.
It should be noted that Kumar was serving as the Finance Secretary of India during that time.
How did we find that out?: A simple reverse image search directed us to the same image published in a news report by The Business Standard.
It said that the central government had proposed around Rs 22,000 crore for the power and renewable energy sector in the union budget for the financial year 2020-21.
The image showed Sitharaman standing with the then Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur along with senior officials outside the Ministry of Finance, North Block.
Other sources: On performing another round of reverse image search, we found similar visuals published on stock image website — Getty Images.
The image carried a headline that said, "Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Presents Union Budget 2020-21."
As per the available information, the photo was taken on 1 February 2020.
About CEC Rajiv Kumar: According to the Election Commission of India's (ECI) official website, Kumar had previously as the Finance Secretary of India from July 2019 to February 2020.
Kumar, who is an officer of the Indian Administrative Service of Bihar/Jharkhand cadre 1984 batch, assumed office as the 25th CEC on 15 May 2022.
Conclusion: It is clear that the image is old and is being shared without giving proper context.
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