The post came in the middle of India’s six-week marathon parliamentary electionsthe greatest democratic exercise in the world.
Analysts expect an easy victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP, thanks in large part to its aggressive defense of India’s majority Hindu faith – and disparate opposition from more than two dozen parties.
Similar posts featuring the edited video were also shared elsewhere in X and in Facebook here It is here.
Comments on the posts indicated that social media users believed the claim.
“If this idiot already knows that Modi is going to win the elections, why is he running?” commented one of them.
“The people of the country know that Rahul Gandhi is a foolish leader and the destruction of the Congress Party will certainly be in his hands,” said another.
But there were no official reports on May 23, 2024 indicating that Gandhi said the BJP would win the elections.
In fact, the video was edited from a speech where he said the opposite.
Cropped video
A keyword search on YouTube found Gandhi’s full speech broadcast live on your party’s verified Congressional account on May 10, 2024 (archived link).
The video’s description said it was filmed in the city of Kanpur in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It read: “Rahul Gandhi’s roar in Kanpur, this speech will upend the entire election! ‘Modi is gone… Goodbye, thank you.”
Below is a screenshot comparison of a frame from the edited clip (left) and the video uploaded on the Congress Party’s verified YouTube channel (right):
The edited video corresponds to the section of Gandhi’s speech that begins in Mark 0:57 of the longest video on YouTube.
But what he actually said was: “Narendra Modi will not be the Prime Minister of India. Take this in writing, Narendra Modi cannot become the Prime Minister of India” (archived link).
The word “no” was edited out of the video in circulation.
Furthermore, when 1:41 In the video, Gandhi’s actual remarks were: “We did our best. Now you see, our alliance will not get less than 50 seats in Uttar Pradesh.”
This part was also changed to give the impression that he said the opposition alliance “will not get a seat” in the state.
AFP debunks more misinformation about India’s general elections here.
