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| - On December 27, the national capital of New Delhi witnessed rainfall, leading to a further drop in temperatures across the region. Following the rains, BJP leaders shared a photo on social media that showed a man riding a motorcycle on a waterlogged road filled with potholes. Accompanying the image was a caption that stated, “AAP’s lie – roads like London-Paris, Delhi’s truth – potholes on the roads.” The criticism was directed at Delhi chief minister Atishi and the Aam Aadmi Party. BJP leaders used the image to highlight the poor condition of Delhi’s roads after light rainfall.
The official social media accounts of BJP Delhi, including its X handle and Facebook page, also shared the image with a caption mocking the AAP government’s infrastructure claims. The caption read, “After a little rain, the condition of the roads is of European standard.” (Archived link 1, link 2)
थोड़ी सी देर की बारिश के बाद यूरोपियन स्टैण्डर्ड सड़कों का हाल 👇 pic.twitter.com/3XMtKMNnnh
— BJP Delhi (@BJP4Delhi) December 28, 2024
BJP IT Cell national head Amit Malviya amplified the claim by sharing the same image on his social media accounts. It is important to note that Malviya has a history of sharing misleading and inaccurate information on social media platforms. (Archived link)
थोड़ी सी देर की बारिश के बाद यूरोपियन स्टैण्डर्ड सड़कों का हाल 👇 pic.twitter.com/3XMtKMNnnh
— BJP Delhi (@BJP4Delhi) December 28, 2024
Several other BJP leaders also circulated the image to reinforce similar claims against the AAP government. These included Santosh Ojha, president of BJP Delhi Purvanchal Morcha and BJP scheduled caste morcha Delhi, along with leaders such as Sanjeev Choudhary and Rajiv Babbar. (Archived link 1, link 2, link 3, link 4)
Supporters and members of the BJP further amplified the image with the same claim.
Fact-check
To verify the authenticity of the viral image, Alt News performed a reverse image search. This led us to a similar photograph uploaded by photographer Sanchit Khanna on the Getty Images website on September 30, 2024.
Getty Images is a well-known photo stock platform where professional photographers and photojournalists upload their work. There are some significant differences between the original image on Getty Images and the one being circulated. In the original, the road did show some signs of wear and damage, but it did not contain as many potholes and craters as depicted in the viral version.
According to the caption provided with the image, Delhi chief minister Atishi, along with officials from the public works department (PWD), inspected road conditions near the Outer Ring Road in Kalkaji on September 30, 2024. During this inspection, the chief minister identified potholes near the NSIC complex and instructed officials to ensure that repairs were completed before Diwali.
It is worth noting that the original image dates back to September 30, and is unrelated to the rainfall that occurred recently.
Media outlets such as News18 and Hindustan Times had reported on the September 30 inspection. Their coverage highlighted that chief minister Atishi, accompanied by engineers from the PWD, had surveyed several roads in Delhi. During the inspection, Atishi reassured residents that the roads would be repaired and maintained to ensure a “pothole-free” Diwali.
To sum it up, leaders from the BJP and BJP Delhi shared an edited image, falsely linking it to the rainfall in Delhi on December 27 to target the Aam Aadmi Party.
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