A video, which shows Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel welcoming Congress leaders by garlanding them, is going viral on social media to claim that the CM welcomed the leaders with gold chains during the party's 85th plenary session in Raipur.
An archive of the post can be seen here.
(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)
The video has gone extremely viral on social media platforms with the same claim.
Several social media users have shared the claim.
(Source: Facebook/Twitter/Screenshot)
What led us to the truth?: The chief minister uploaded a video on his official Twitter handle to clarify about the garland.
A man named Itwari Ram Machiya, a member of the 'Baiga' community, could be heard talking about the garland named Biran.
He says that the garland is made using grass and parts of a tree called Khirsali in the video.
Machiya thanks CM Baghel for using the garland during the summit and congratulates people from his community.
The video also shows a woman making the garland as seen in the viral clip.
About the Baiga tribe: We searched for the community and came across a blog published on the MP Tourism website, where we found several pictures of the tribe members wearing a similar garland.
A comparison clearly highlights the similarities.
(Source: MP Tourism website/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)
The Baiga tribe's first documented reference was in a British Army report in 1867, as per the MP Tourism website.
They were forest dwellers who lived in a symbiotic relation with the forest. At present times, members of the tribe can be found in MP and also parts of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand.
Congress denies claim: Further, The Quint spoke to Vineet Punia, Secretary of Indian National Congress, who was also present at the summit.
He said, "The claim of CM Baghel welcoming guests with gold chains is rubbish and false. It was made with grass which was made by local people."
Gulab Dadsena, PRO Kawardha, added, "CM Baghel was attending a wedding in Kawardha, where he was welcomed with the same garland. He liked the garland and decided to use it to welcome the guests in the plenary session."
What was the plenary session?: It was a three-day summit, which saw around 15,000 delegates from various states, and leaders like party President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and Meira Kumar were also seen attending it. The aim was to develop a roadmap for upcoming elections.
Conclusion: The viral claim of CM Baghel garlanding guests with gold chains during the 85th plenary session is false.
(With inputs from Vishnukant Tiwari.)
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