This video has been edited from original footage in which Rahul Gandhi described fugitive Indian businessmen settling abroad

This article is more than one year old.
Published on October 25, 2019 at 08:30
3 min read
By AFP India

A video of Indian opposition politician Rahul Gandhi has been viewed thousands of times in multiple Facebook and Twitter posts which claim that it shows him declaring plans to migrate to the UK and send his children to school in the US. The claim is false; the video has been edited from a longer video of Gandhi’s speech at a political rally in October 2019 in which he described how two fugitive Indian businessmen had settled abroad.

The 11-second long video was published here in a Facebook post on October 13, 2019, where it has been viewed more than 1,400 times.

Below is a screenshot of the misleading Facebook post:

(Screenshot of misleading Facebook post)

The post’s Hindi-language caption translates to English as: “This is the reality of the Gandhi family. They have taken people for granted as their ancestral property, threatening to settle in London and send his children to study in the USA. He should be sent to London today or better to send him his real home Pakistan. Treason has been in their blood for a long time.”

The Hindi language text superimposed on the video translates to English as: “Rahul Gandhi and his children will settle down in London.”

Rahul Gandhi is the former president of India’s main opposition Indian National Congress party.

The video was also published on Facebook, here, here and here, and here, here, here and here on Twitter alongside a similar claim.

The claim is false; a reverse image search on Google of keyframes obtained using video verification tool InVid found the full video of Gandhi’s speech published here on the website for Indian news channel ABP on October 13, 2019.

The video’s caption states: “Rahul Gandhi attacks Modi govt in Latur”.

Latur is a town and central district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

A keyword search found the same video of his full speech was also published here on the official YouTube channel of the Indian National Congress on October 13, 2019.

In the longer 18 minute 48 second clip, Gandhi referred to two fugitive Indian businessmen, who he suggested could flee India in order to avoid charges of money laundering and banking fraud.

Below is a screenshot comparison of the misleading video (L) and the Congress official YouTube channel video (R):

(Image comparing screenshots)

The short video clip in the misleading Facebook post corresponds with the longer video from the 15 minute 10 second mark to the 15 minute 38 second mark of the YouTube video.

In the original speech as seen in the YouTube video, Gandhi’s comments at this point translate to English as: “Farmers are afraid, they remain awake the whole night thinking about how to pay their loan. Whereas, Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi can sleep well without any fear. Nothing will happen, I will go to London, my children will go to study in America, I have nothing to do with India. I am Narendra Modi’s friend, I have millions of rupees, I will go anytime. This is the reality of India.”

In the edited misleading clip, Gandhi appears to say: “I will go to London, my children will go to study in America, I have nothing to do with India. I have millions of rupees, I will go anytime.”

The audio has been edited to remove the phrase "I am Narendra Modi's friend", referring to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi are fugitive Indian jewellers, who are wanted by the authorities over charges of money laundering and banking fraud. This report published by Indian newspaper The Economic Times on October 12, 2019, outlines the allegations against them.

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