An old clip from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech is going viral on the internet to claim that he had endorsed the use of ballot papers over Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) before winning the elections in 2014.
What about the video?: In the 30-seconds-long clip, PM Modi could be heard saying, "Our country is poor, people are illiterate. People don't know anything. Brothers and sisters, when educated countries hold elections, they read names and stamp ballot papers even today, even in America."
What's the truth?: The video dates back to 2016 and is being shared out of context. In the longer version, PM Modi could be seen expressing pride that people in India use EVMs to cast their votes.
What led us to the truth?: A simple reverse image search on different keyframes of the viral clip led us to the full version of PM Modi's speech uploaded on the official YouTube channel of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
It was published on 3 December 2016 and was titled, "PM Modi's Speech at Parivartan Rally in New Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh."
At around the 36:20 timestamp, PM Modi could be heard talking about young people going around in Moradabad and teaching others how to spend money using their mobile phones.
He proceeded to add, "Times are changing. Now your mobile phone is your bank, your bank is now in your mobile. Your mobile phone also your wallet. If there is money in your account, then you spend money using the help of your mobile and can buy whatever you want. All the facilities are available. You don't have to visit ATMs to withdraw cash. You can spend money using your mobile."
He further said, "Some people say that our country is poor. People are illiterate, our people don't know anything. But my brothers and sisters, even highly educated countries read names and stamp ballot papers during their elections even today, even in America. But here in India, which you call poor and uneducated, people press buttons and cast their votes."
A recurring theme: Team WebQoof had previously debunked the same claim in April 2022, when it had gone viral on social media platforms. You can read our fact-check here.
Conclusion: It is clear that the video is old and does not show PM Modi endorsing the use of paper ballots during elections.
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