On August 5, a ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ was done in Ayodhya and foundation stone for the grand Ram temple building was laid by PM Narendra Modi at the site where Babri Masjid was demolished.
In light of this, a tweet apparently by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, has gone viral. ‘I’m a big fan of Indian Culture So I Did ‘SHRI RAM ABHISHEK’ With Our Home minister at my Residence On 5th of August,’ reads the tweet.
I’m a big fan of Indian Culture So I Did ‘SHRI RAM ABHISHEK’ With Our Home minister at my Residence On 5th of August. pic.twitter.com/fYlfzpZNnl
— Boris Johnson (@BorisUKJohnson) August 7, 2020
At the time of reporting of this story, the tweet was retweeted over 12,000 times and liked 54,000 times.
I’m a big fan of Indian Culture So I Did *’SHRI RAM ABHISHEK’* With Our Home minister at my Residence On 5th of August.*~Boris Johnson* जय श�?री राम* pic.twitter.com/pyQU3JlHFL
— प�?रशांत भारतीय (@Prasant46564833) August 7, 2020
Boris Johnson & Priti Patel (Home Minister) performing Abhishekam for Sri Ram on the eve of Bhoomi pooja. https://t.co/7LnWFSHBwa
— R Kesava Raman Yadav (@kesavaessar) August 8, 2020
Je Baat! Thank you ,May lord Ram bless you nd ur family @BorisJohnson @pritipatel Jai Siya Ram�?�?�?�@NAN_DINI_ @Mohansinha https://t.co/snAm2rYRju
— Lotus (@LotusBharat) August 7, 2020
The screenshot of this tweet is being shared on Facebook too.
Claim:
UK PM Boris Johnson tweeted a picture of him with the Home minister of UK performing ‘Ram Abhishek’ on August 5.
Fact Check:
The claim is false. The tweet was not from the verified, official account of the UK PM.
Fake Twitter Profile
The account from which the viral tweet was posted has clearly mentioned that it is an unofficial account and it was created last month.
Below is a screenshot of the account:
The original account of the UK PM Boris Johnson can be accessed here.
Viral Photo
A Google reverse image search of the photo accompanying the viral tweet was done.
This led to a post by Facebook page of UK’s Conservatives party on December 9, 2019. The viral picture was one of the pictures included in the post.
According to the caption of the post, Boris Johnson had visited the Hindu temple of Neasden in north-west London with Priti Patel, UK Home Minister.
‘This temple is one of the greatest gifts to our country. It is brought to life by the amazing community spirit that inhabits it. You are giving back to our society through the great charitable work that you do. London and the UK are lucky to have you,’ Boris was quoted as saying.
Below is a picture of the temple:
A keyword search based on the information led to news reports on the event.
According to a report by The Hindu, Boris Johnson had pledged to partner with PM Modi on his mission to build a new India. In light of that, he and his partner Carrie Symonds had visited a famous Hindu temple in UK to woo Indian diaspora votes ahead of the General Election, last year.
UK home secretary Priti Patel had also attended the event.
‘The vote to leave the EU was a vote to take back control of our borders, and that is exactly what a Conservative majority government will do by getting Brexit done and ending freedom of movement. Immigration will finally be subject to democratic control,’ Patel was quoted as saying.
Below is a tweet from the temple authorities on the visit:
It was an honour to have Rt Hon. Prime Minister @BorisJohnson MP and Home Secretary Priti Patel @patel4witham on the auspicious occasion of His Holiness #PramukhSwami Maharaj’s 98th birthday celebrations at #NeasdenTemple this evening. #psm98 pic.twitter.com/3nFdljIVca
— Neasden Temple (@NeasdenTemple) December 7, 2019
Some variations also claim that the woman seen with the PM in the viral photograph is his wife.
Below is a collage of the PM with his partner (right), the viral photo (left) and the two women together (middle):
Below is a video from the visit:
Further, the deity worshipped in the temple is Shri Nilkanth Varni, the teenage form of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, as stated on the website of the temple.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343
Also Read: Fact Check: Did Leaders Around The Globe Tweet In Support Of India Following Clash With China?
