An old video featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been circulating online with a false claim that he expressed support for the opposition's recently formed 'I.N.D.I.A' bloc. However, India TV's Fact Check team has confirmed that the video dates back to 2013, when Modi served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, and in it, he was referring to India as a nation, not the opposition's alliance.
The 'I.N.D.I.A' bloc, composed of 26 opposition parties, including the Indian National Congress (INC), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and the All India Trinamool Congress, was established in July. This united front was created to challenge the Bhartiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the upcoming 2024 general elections. The alliance's full name is the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A). The misleading connection between the old video of PM Modi and the opposition alliance's name has led to this false claim.
In the video, Modi can be seen asking the audience to cheer for India if they desire freedom from poverty, nepotism, corruption, and aspire to build a nation that prioritizes development, national security, and unity. A caption accompanying the video on Facebook reads, "Thank u Modi ji sure we vote for India in 2024.... we love you we need change....."
False claim made by a social media user
The India TV Fact Check team conducted a thorough investigation and confirmed that the video is indeed from 2013, featuring PM Modi as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, expressing his dedication to the country. A Facebook post shared an Aaj Tak news clip that included text like 'Narendra Modi, CM, Gujarat' and 'Modi's Maha Garjana Rally' in Hindi.
Building on this information, the team conducted a keyword search for old videos of Modi during his tenure as Gujarat's CM at the 'Maha Garjana Rally' in Mumbai. They found the full speech uploaded on his official YouTube channel, dated December 22, 2013.
During the 'Maha Garjana Rally' on December 22, 2013, Modi, then the PM candidate for the BJP, addressed the crowd at Mumbai's MMRDA ground, accompanied by other party leaders such as Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari. The portion of the viral video begins at the 49:55 mark, where Modi encourages people to vote for the country's development in the 2014 general elections, followed by the phrase "Vote for India." In his speech, he emphasizes the importance of voting for the nation rather than a specific political party.
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