The same video was also shared elsewhere on X as well as in Facebook.
It was shared when Parliament met for its first session since a national election that deprived the BJP of a parliamentary majority and forced Prime Minister Narendra Modi rely on coalition allies to govern (archived link).
Gandhi – descendant of a dynasty that has already given India three prime ministers – defied analyst expectations and exit polls to help his congressional party almost double its parliamentary numbers and secure its position as Indian opposition leader.
The position had been vacant for a decade because two dismal election results for the Congress – once India’s dominant party – left it short of the requirement that the opposition leader come from a party that commands at least 10% of lawmakers in the 543- Lok Sabha seat, lower house of parliament.
Gandhi regularly brandished the Constitution at election rallies, warning that Modi’s BJP wanted to drastically alter the text to support its Hindu nationalist politics.
Home Minister Amit Shah rejected the accusation, telling local broadcaster NDTV the BJP government did not plan to change the constitution (archived link).
The video circulating on social media, however, was edited. Gandhi was not in the room when Thakur made his comments.
Manipulated video
A keyword search led to the original video posted on the public broadcaster’s official YouTube channel Sansad TV on July 1, 2024 (archived link).
The video is titled “Remarks by Anurag Thakur | Motion of thanks on President’s Speech in the 18th Lok Sabha”.
O addressgiven by President to both chambers of parliament in the first session after the general elections, presents the government’s agenda for the year.
The President of India addresses the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha at the beginning of the first session after every general election. The President’s speech essentially highlights the government’s political priorities and plans for the next year. The speech provides a broad framework of the government’s agenda and direction.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the edited video (left) and the Sansad TV video (right):
The edited video matches the footage from the Sansad TV video mark 56:36.
But – contrary to what is seen in the edited video – Gandhi is not sitting in the front row of the opposition benches when they are shown in the mark 56:47.
Opposition strike
Gandhi can be seen briefly in 28 second mark of Thakur’s speech, asking the Speaker of the Lok Sabha to “set aside a day for discussion on NEET after the President’s speech”.
He was referring to suspicions that evidences for the National Eligibility and Entrance Examination (Graduation) (NEET-UG) has been leaked, affecting the integrity of the national medical entrance exam (archived link).
The Speaker then asks Gandhi to send a notice first, before asking Thakur to continue.
After Thakur resumes his speech, in the 3:16 markthe opposition is shown leaving the chamber.
Local media outlet In Manorama also reported on the opposition strike (archived link).
The photos of Gandhi used in the edited video were taken from his own speech on the same day, on 19:02 It is 19:06 brands (archived link).
Below is a screenshot comparison of the shots of Gandhi used in the edited video (left) and the Sansad TV video (right):
AFP unmasked others False claims about Gandhi, who is a frequent target of misinformation in India.
