Editing videos out of context can lend them a totally different meaning and purveyors of fake news have learnt the trick well enough. The Quint came across one such video which has been viral on social media for at least two years now.
CLAIM
A clipping of Rahul Gandhi’s speech has been shared by Facebook page I Support Modi Ji and BJP where he can be heard saying, “Hindustan ke deshvasiyon, aapka bhavishya Narendra Modi ke haath me hai aur agar aap ek sunehra bhavishya chahte ho, to apna vartaman samay Narendra Modi ko do (Indians, your future lies in the hands of Narendra Modi and if you want a prosperous future, let Narendra Modi be in control of your present).”
Interestingly, this clip has been circulating in social media for almost 2 years now. A Facebook page Only NaMo had posted this clipping on 16 November 2017 and again on 29 August 2018.
Another Facebook user Yogesh Pathak had shared the same clipping even earlier, on 26 February 2017.
The clip has been tweeted as well by various handles like @ManojBa76256310, @prsnrstradition, @jigarceo, @RPArora1 etc between 26 February 2017 and 22 November 2018.
TRUE OR FALSE
The video is a clipping that has been edited out of a speech by Rahul Gandhi. As a result, what Gandhi can be heard saying here is without any context.
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
The Quint accessed Rahul Gandhi’s full speech from the official YouTube channel of Indian National Congress.
Gandhi, on 11 January 2017, addressed the leaders, workers and representatives of the Congress at the Jan Vedna Sammelan, which acording to the official website of the Congress, was to “address the many hardships that the people of the country have been put through due the Modi ji's demonetisation decision”.
During the speech, from 18:40 to 19:10, Gandhi can be heard saying, “Demonetisation ka message kya hai? Mai Batata Hun. Hindustan ke deshvasiyon, aapka bhavishya Narendra Modi ke haath me hai aur agar aap ek sunehra bhavishya chahte ho, to apna vartaman samay Narendra Modi ko do (What is the message behind demonetisation? I will tell you. Indians, your future lies in the hands of Narendra Modi and if you want a prosperous future, let Narendra Modi be in control of your present).”
As one may observe, the viral clip has omitted the “Demonetisation ka message kya hai? Mai Batata Hun” part, thereby quoting Gandhi out of context.
This isn’t the first such incident. In another similar fabrication of truth, a video of Rahul Gandhi went viral where he can be heard saying, “Aisi machine lagaunga, iss side se aaloo ghusega, uss side se sona niklega (I will install a machine which if fed potato, will give gold in return)."
In this case too, the viral portion is only a 20-seconder from a 26-minute speech.
Rahul was referring to the assurances made to Gujarat, and the farmers in the state, in particular.
In the full version, Rahul is also seen saying that these words were that of PM Modi, and that he promised farmers that "Aisi machine lagaunga, iss side se aaloo ghusega, uss side se sona niklega."
(Not convinced of a story you came across on social media and want it verified? Send us the details at WebQoof@TheQuint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)