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No, Rahul Gandhi Did Not Dress As Saint To Appease Hindu; Viral Image Is Photoshopped
Madhya Pradesh, 15 Dec 2022 10:43 AM GMT
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In the original image, Rahul Gandhi's face has been put in place of Saint Namdev Das Tyagi alias 'Computer Baba.' Also, the original image did not feature Sachin Pilot.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has reached Dhausa, Rajasthan now. Rahul Gandhi will do the foot march (padayatra) in Rajasthan for about 15 to 17 days. Amid this yatra, an image of Rahul Gandhi dressed as a monk (Sadhu) is going viral on social media. In this viral image, Sachin Pilot stands on one side of Rahul and Digvijay Singh on the other. Sharing this image, people on social media claimed that Rahul dressed as Sadhu to appease the Hindu community.
A Twitter user shared this image and wrote a caption which reads, "मैं बहुत सम्मान साथ अपने कांग्रेसी मित्रों से पूछना चाहता हूं कि क्या इस तरह के बहरूपिया पन से लोग राहुल गांधी को भारत का प्रधानमंत्री बनने योग्य स्वीकार करेंगे ?..क्या आपको नहीं लगता कि कुछ लोग शायद कांग्रेस के ही लोग जानबूझकर राहुल गांधी का जोकर बना रहे हैं?"
[English Translation: I would like to ask my Congress friends, with great respect, will people accept Rahul Gandhi as eligible to become the Prime Minister of India with this kind of impersonation? Don't you think that some people, probably Congress people, are deliberately making a joker of Rahul Gandhi?]
This image is viral on Facebook and Twitter with a similar claim.
Claim:
Rahul Gandhi dressed as Sadhu during Bharat Jodo Yatra to appease the Hindu community.
Fact Check:
The Logical Indian fact-check team verified the viral claim and found it false. The viral image is edited.
During the initial investigation, we did a google reverse image search and found the original image in a report of NDTV dated 03 December 2022. The report's title reads, "Watch: Computer Baba Joins Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra." On observing the image, we found that the viral picture is fake. In the original image, Namdev Das Tyagi, also known as 'Computer Baba' dressed as a saint, can be seen standing in place of Rahul Gandhi. Also, Rahul Gandhi can be seen in this photo instead of Sachin Pilot, and Sachin was not present anywhere in it. According to the report, Computer Baba joined Kamal Nath and others in Bharat Jodo Yatra in Mahudiya, Madhya Pradesh.
On searching more, we found a video tweeted by ANI where Rahul Gandhi can be seen walking with computer baba. The caption of the video reads, "Congress party's Bharat Jodo Yatra resumed from Mahudiya in Madhya Pradesh this morning. Senior party leader Kamal Nath and Namdev Das Tyagi, popularly known as Computer Baba, also joined the yatra today."
We also compared the viral image with the NDTV image. Below you can see the comparison.
We also found the same visual in a video report of News18 and The Tribune. According to it, Rahul Gandhi, Computer Baba and Digvijay Singh are seen talking among themselves. The video was attributed to Mahudiya of Madhya Pradesh.
Who is Computer Baba?
According to the report Namdev Tyagi, also known as Computer Baba in Madhya Pradesh, is a resident of Indore city. Digvijay Singh named Tyagi as Computer Baba. Computer Baba has also been active in MP politics. In 2018, the Shivraj government gave the status of Minister of State to Computer Baba. Later, he joined Congress. In 2020, he was also arrested for illegal encroachment and assault with a panchayat employee.
Our investigation shows that the viral image was edited using some editing software. In the original image, Rahul Gandhi's face was placed in place of Saint Namdev Das Tyagi's alias 'Computer Baba'. Also, the original image did not feature Sachin Pilot; hence, the viral claim is false.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.
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