Did Congress Halt Its 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' In Support Of PFI Following Raids? No, Viral Claim Is False!

BJP leader Kapil Mishra circulated a claim alleging that Congress stopped its 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' after the Popular Front of India called for a strike. The viral claim alleges that Congress stopped its rally in an effort to show its support for the PFI.

The video is viral in the context of the 22 September raids carried out by the National Investigation Agency on the PFI's offices in 15 states across India, leading to the arrest of 106 members of the Islamist organisation.

Claim:

BJP leader Kapil Mishra wrote in a tweet published on 23 September, 'PFI and Islamic Jihadi organisations called for a strike today, and Congress stopped its padayatra today, nothing can be lousy and shameful."

Sadvi Prachi, a leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, circulated a similar claim with the caption, "The Congress are traitors."

An image containing the viral claim is circulating on Facebook as well.

Fact Check:

The Logical Indian fact-check team verified the viral claim and found it to be false. The was no relation between PFI call for strike and Bharat Jodo Yatra break.

We conducted a keyword search for relevant keywords such as 'Congress Bharat Jodo Yatra break'. We came across a report by The Hindu published on September 21, 2022, titled, 'Bharat Jodo Yatra to enter Thrissur today'

In the Hindu report published on 21 September 2022, there is a mention of a one-day's rest in the Bharat Jodo Yatra on 23 September. As per the report, on Thursday, the yatra will tour the Thrissur district from September 22 to September 25. A break in the yatra was on September 23, as per The Hindu report.

We also came across an Indian Express article published on September 15, 2022, titled 'Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra takes a break in Kerala'. The article mentions that there would be a break from the yatra on September 23.

We also came across an article by India Today which stated that the Popular Front of India called for a one-day statewide strike in Kerala on September 23.

In our Fact Check, we conducted a keyword search across social media. We came across this tweet from the verified Congress Twitter account. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh can be seen addressing a party gathering where he says, "23 (September) is a rest day. We usually walk for seven days and then take a rest for one day. So, 23 September is a rest day."

In another tweet, Congress also specifically mentioned that 23 September would be a rest day.

In a reply to Kapil Mishra to dismiss the claim, Congress leader Pawan Khera said that the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' takes one day break every week. The last break was on the 15th of September 2022.

Apart from this, Pawan Khera also debunked the claims made by Kapil Mishra in a video published on the verified Congress handle on September 23, 2022.

Conclusion:

In our Fact Check, we found that September 23, when PFI had called for a strike, was co-incidentally the day Congress took a break for the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'. However, Congress had declared the break day well in advance and carried no connection with the strike called for by the PFI. Thus, we found that 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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