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Fact Check: Was Modi Greeted With Chants Of "Chowkidar Chor Hai" During Bengal Visit?
Writer: Aditi Chattopadhyay
Aditi, part of the fact checking team of The Logical Indian likes to read, write, cook and laugh, in short live life as it is supposed to be. What makes her fascinated is to discover the truth behind a story and more often than not, it is either fact or myth at the end.
West Bengal, 25 May 2020 2:40 PM GMT | Updated 26 May 2020 1:51 AM GMT
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The Logical Indian Fact Check team investigates the claim that Modi was greeted with chants of 'Chowkidar Chor Hai' during his recent visit to Bengal after Cyclone Amphan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had conducted an aerial survey of the affected regions to take stock of the trail of destruction left behind by severe cyclonic storm Amphan in West Bengal on May 22.
Following this, a video clip surfaced online which showed Modi being greeted with chants of 'Chowkidar Chor Hai'.
The captions alongside the video claim that the PM was welcomed in Bengal in this manner.
Crowds shouting at Modi "Chowkidar chor hai"...Meaning 'the watchman is a thief'. Times not far when the crowd will become aggressive and start chasing BJP MLA's and MP's. #GharMeiGuskeMaro pic.twitter.com/gm2lfkZdFy
— Praecursator 🇬🇧 🇧🇪 🇨🇮🏆 (@Praecursator007) May 22, 2020
'Chowkidar Chor Hai' is a Hindi slogan coined by the Indian National Congress (INC) in its election campaign for the 2019 Indian general election.
Claim:
Modi was greeted with chants of 'Chowkidar Chor Hai' during his recent visit to Bengal after Cyclone Amphan.
Fact Check:
The claim is false.
Reportedly, PM Modi's helicopter had landed in Basirhat College, in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas after the aerial survey.
Using related keywords led to a video uploaded by Bengal Times 24x7 which showed the same viral video clip but instead of 'Chowkidar Chor Hai' Modi was showered with chants of Jai Shree Ram.
Further, according to an India Today report, Abdul Wahab a journalist of Bengali news channel "ABP Ananda", who was present at Basirhat College on May 22 has clarified that people were chanting slogans of "Jai Shree Ram" and not "Chowkidar Chor Hai".
Another video which shows the same 50 seconds as the viral video was uploaded by Akashvani Sangbad Kolkata's official Facebook page. Chants of 'jai Shri Ram' can be clearly heard in the video which shows the same visuals shot from the same angle as the viral video.
Further, a keyword search in Youtube led to a video with the same tonality and pattern of chants of 'Chowkidar Chor Hai'. This video was uploaded on April 10, 2019. Congress supporters can be seen raising this slogan at a BJP rally in Bengaluru.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a Rs 1,000 crore "advance interim assistance" for West Bengal on May 22 after the aerial survey.
"Rs. 1,000 crore advance assurance will be given to West Bengal," PM Modi said in Basirhat on North 24 Parganas district, after the aerial survey. "All aspects relating to rehabilitation, reconstruction will be addressed. We all want West Bengal to move ahead. The centre will always stand with West Bengal in these testing times. We will work together to ensure that Bengal stands on its feet again," he said.
The cyclone swept through several parts of Bengal, including capital Kolkata which left behind a trail of destruction, with thousands of homes damaged, and trees and electric poles uprooted, leaving 80 dead in the state.
PM Modi further announced Rs 2 lakh each for the families of those who died in the cyclone in Bengal and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
PM Modi also conducted an aerial survey in Odisha, where he announced Rs 500 crore as advance assistance.
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 SP Leader Abu Azmi's Supporters Chant 'Pakistan Zindabad' At Mumbai Railway Station?
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