Amid the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, two videos of Trinamool Congress leader Sayani Ghosh are being shared on social media.
In one clip, she can be heard reciting the Hanuman Chalisa. In another clip, Ghosh can be heard singing a song with the lyrics “Mere Dil Mein Hai Kaaba” (which has Islamic references).
Those sharing the video claimed that during the first phase of voting, Ghosh performed songs with Islamic references in her campaign.
Posts further alleged that after a “93 percent voter turnout,” she chanted the Hanuman Chalisa in the second phase to appeal to Hindu voters.
Additionally, in the clip where she recites the Hanuman Chalisa, Ghosh also references prayers from other religions and does not limit herself to Hindu verses.
What we found: Team WebQoof checked both the videos separately and found the following.
Clip 1: The clip notes that Ghosh sang a song with Islamic references in the first phase of polls in West Bengal.
We divided the clip into multiple screenshots and ran a Google reverse image search on some of them. It led us to a video on Facebook from 4 April.
It featured Ghosh in the same outfit and setting, with the background and posters matching those seen in the viral clip.
The video's caption noted, "Trinamool Congress Party _ Sayani Ghosh _ At Live Poragram _ Barpeta jania Assam" (sic.)
With the help of Google translate, we translated the words on the poster which loosely noted, “Jania High School.”
Team WebQoof then ran a relevant keyword search and came across a video on Instagram of Ghosh waving to a crowd from her car, uploaded on 5 April.
The text imposed on the video read, "Sayooni Ghosh in Assam Jania Playground @ShermaAliAhmed."
Ghosh's outfit resembled the one in the viral clip.
We searched for “Sherma Ali Ahmed Assam” and found that he is the TMC candidate from the Mandia constituency in Barpeta, according to My Neta.
We looked for Sherman Ali Ahmed and found his Facebook page, where he had shared Ghosh's clip singing “Mere Dil Mein Hai Kaaba” on 5 April.
Clip 2: The second clip claimed that Ghosh recited the Hanuman Chalisa after the 93 per cent voter turnout in the first phase of the West Bengal polls.
Team WebQoof went through Ghosh's social media pages and found the same viral clip which was captioned, "Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Isai Apas mein rahenge Bhai Bhai #BhawaniporeForDidi! #JoyBangla."(sic.)
Speaking at a public meeting in Bhawanipur, Ghosh described the area as “mini India.”
She said that people from different religions and walks of life live there, and went on to recite prayers from multiple faiths.
She noted that while one place recited, “Rupam dehi jayam dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi, Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu Shakti-rupen,” another echoed, “La ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah.” Ghosh added that a third lane prayed, “Jai Hanuman Gyan Gun Sagar Jai Kapeesh…” (as heard in the viral video), while another chanted, “Ik Onkar Satnam.”
She concluded by criticising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying that “this” is Bengal and it should not be governed by the BJP.
Conclusion: The viral video is clipped to present in a misleading manner and falsely claim that Ghosh recited the Hanuman Chalisa to appease Hindu voters in the second phase of polls in West Bengal.
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