Did Congress’ Rahul Gandhi Say He Had Direct Connection With God? A Fact-Check

We found that a longer video showed Gandhi taking a dig at PM Modi during a rally.

A video of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi is going viral on social media platforms to claim that he recently talked about having a direct connection with God while addressing a rally.

What did the video show?: In the 15-seconds-long clip, Gandhi was heard saying, "I don't get any illnesses, I have a direct connection from the above. I talk directly to the God."

The post had gained around a lakh views on the platform. More archives of similar claims could be found here, here, and here.

Is this claim true?: No, this video has been clipped. A longer video showed Gandhi taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a rally in Bihar's Darbhanga ahead of the state assembly elections.

How did we find that out?: On conducting a simple Google Lens search, we found a longer version of Gandhi's speech uploaded on the official handle of Asian News International (ANI).

• The video was shared on 29 October and its location was identified as Darbhanga.

• Gandhi mentioned that he mentioned in the previous meeting how one can ask PM Modi to do anything before the elections.

• He said, "They staged a drama. And the truth of India was shown through this drama. What was the drama? At one side, the dirty of Yamuna. If anyone drinks the water, they would either get sick or die. No one can go inside. The water is so dirty that if you enter it, you would get sick or get an infection. But Modiji staged a drama. He built a small pond there. You saw it, didn't you? This in India."

"They will show anything for elections. Look brother, I have a 56-inch chest, I am going to bathe in the Yamuna. I never get sick, I have a direct connection from the above. I talk directly to the God."

Rahul Gandhi, LoP in Lok Sabha

Other sources: Team WebQoof found Gandhi's full speech uploaded on his official YouTube channel on 29 October.

• It was titled, "LIVE: Joint Public Meeting | Darbhanga, Bihar."

• At around the 34:40 timestamp, one can hear Gandhi the same statements and taking a dig at PM Modi.

Conclusion: It is evident that the viral video is clipped and is being shared with an incorrect context.

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