Viral Video of Kharge, Sonia Gandhi: False Claim

The claim that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge waited for Sonia Gandhi’s clearance before assuming a seat on the dais has gone viral in an 18-second video from a rally in Hubbali, Karnataka. There is no audio in the popular video.

Amit Malviya, who oversees the BJP’s national information & technology department and frequently spreads false material on social media, tweeted the video with the caption, “Reminds me of the iconic dialogue from Zanjeer… जब तक बैठने को नहीं कहा जाए, शराफ़त से खड़े रहो… By supporting the Congress, Karnataka would be governed by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi’s representatives. Additionally, he advised his supporters to exercise intelligent judgment on May 10, the day of the Karnataka polls.

Reminds me of the famous dialogue from Zanjeer…

जब तक बैठने को नहीं कहा जाए, शराफ़त से खड़े रहो…

A vote for Congress means letting Sonia and Rahul Gandhi run Karnataka by proxy!

Don’t let that happen, Karnataka. You are too self respecting for that…

Vote wisely on 10th. pic.twitter.com/msYGfmseKF

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) May 7, 2023

Background: Claim on Kharge

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s official Twitter account also tweeted the video with the following message: “Three generations of the Gandhi family have persistently mistreated Karnataka and its leaders: Indira humiliated Nijalingappa, Rajiv denigrated Veerendra Patil, and now Sonia-Rahul disparage Mallikarjun Kharge. On May 10, this cycle of constant humiliation will come to an end.

Three generations of the Gandhi family have consistently disrespected Karnataka and its leaders: Indira humiliated Nijalingappa, Rajiv demeaned Veerendra Patil, and now Sonia-Rahul belittle Mallikarjun Kharge. This cycle of unrelenting humiliation will end on 10th May. pic.twitter.com/MNxCceFyXU

— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) May 7, 2023

Kanchan Gupta, a senior advisor to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, also tweeted the video with the same assertion. He claims that in the clip, Mr. Kharge is shown “wringing his hands in despair, wondering whether Sonia Gandhi forgot to tell him he can sit or snubbed him by not telling him he could sit.”

https://twitter.com/KanchanGupta/status/1655390458892398592

Priti Gandhi, a prominent member of the BJP, and Rupa Murthy, a Twitter Blue subscriber, are two more well-known users that posted the viral video. The video was tweeted by right-wing influencer Rishi Bagree and implied the same.

Fact Check

On the official YouTube page of the Indian National Congress, we discovered a live feed of the rally named “Joint mega rally | Hubballi, Karnataka |.” The description states that Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Rahul Gandhi spoke during the rally. Sonia Gandhi, the chairwoman of the Congress parliamentary party, made her first appearance in the party’s campaign for the impending Karnataka assembly elections.

The 22:28 minute mark in the YouTube video is where the popular clip begins. Sonia Gandhi is seen leaving the podium after making her speech and sitting down, while Mallikarjun Kharge stays up and makes his way to the podium. The host is heard introducing Kharge to the audience while he is still standing. The audio has been removed from the popular video.

It is so obvious that the film has been edited to make it appear as though Mallikarjun Kharge was waiting for Sonia Gandhi to instruct him to sit down when, in reality, he was simply waiting for the introduction to be finished so that he could proceed to the podium and begin speaking.

Conclusion

The viewers should also be aware that, right when Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge enter the platform in the video, Sonia Gandhi is seen formally requesting that Kharge take a seat. The Gandhis and Kharge are seen seated next to each other.

We saw that Mallikarjun Kharge thanked Sonia Gandhi for speaking at the rally on Twitter. He declared, “A landslide victory for the Congress party shall protect Karnataka from the robbery of the 40% Commission Sarkara. Progress is assured by a populist, welfare-focused, and progressive government run by Congress.

A decisive mandate for the Congress party shall save Karnataka from the loot of 40% Commission Sarkara.

A people friendly, welfare driven & progressive government under the Congress is a guarantee for progress.

Gratitude to Smt. Sonia Gandhi for addressing a rally in Hubballi. pic.twitter.com/AV4yc3pRdS

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) May 6, 2023

As a result, a cropped and altered video from the Hubballi, Karnataka, Congress rally has gone viral with the claim that it shows Mallikarjun Kharge waiting for Sonia Gandhi’s approval to sit down. Actually, Kharge was waiting for the anchor to finish his opening remarks before he approached the podium to begin his address.

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