Fact Check by LOGICALLY FACTS:
The Verdict [Misleading]
A part of Mallikarjun Kharge's speech, in which he quoted the rivals claiming that the Congress party is finished, was shared online with a misleading context.
What is the claim?
The video circulating on social media claiming that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Congress is over" during a 2024 Lok Sabha election rally was manipulated or taken out of context. In the video, Kharge is seen speaking in Hindi, purportedly stating, "Congress is finished. Congress is dead. And now you can't see Congress anywhere," when translated to English.
Those sharing the video claimed that Kharge himself admitted that the Congress has been disbanded and is no longer functional. The archive versions of similar posts can be viewed here and here.
However, an investigation by Logically Facts revealed that Kharge's video was edited and shared with a misleading context. The original video showed him quoting remarks made by rivals of the Congress party during a rally in Ahmedabad.
What was found in fact check?
A reverse image search of a screenshot from the viral video led the team to a YouTube video which was live-streamed on the official channel of the Indian National Congress (archived here) on May 2, 2024. In the video, Kharge was seen addressing an election rally in Gujarat's Ahmedabad.
At the 12:04 timestamp, Kharge discusses Ahmedabad, saying, "Ahmedabad is one such big and famous city. Mahatma Gandhi ji, Sardar Patel ji, Dadabhai Naroji, and many more great leaders were born here. They made Gujarat great. Gandhiji and Sardar Patel, Bhulabhai Desai, Vithalbhai Patel, and the Speaker of our Lok Sabha, Mavalankar ji — all the leaders have built the country, and among them, three members became the presidents of our Congress party — Sardar Patel, Mahatma Gandhi ji, U.N. Dhebar — all of them held the position of party president and strengthened it."
He then adds, "So, I want to say, the foundation of the Congress party in Ahmedabad city is very strong. No one can remove it, and no one can dare to say that we will finish the Congress. Few people say, 'Congress is finished, Congress is dead, and Congress will not be seen anywhere for you' — the leaders here say this. I only want to ask them this: this Ahmedabad city is Mahatma Gandhi ji's holy place. But it is surprising that in this land, people with such ideology are born who are thinking about finishing Gandhi ji's ideology."
The verdict
The viral video falsely portrays Kharge as declaring that the Congress party is "finished" during an election rally in Ahmedabad. In reality, Kharge was quoting critics who claim the party is "finished." As a result, we have marked this claim misleading.
(Disclaimer: This story was originally published by LOGICALLY FACTS, and republished by India TV as part of the Shakti Collective.)
