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| - Fact Check: Punjab CM didn't say he is unaware of who's running the government; viral video is old
A viral video of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann saying he is unaware of who's running the government is an old clip from 2021.
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India Today Fact Check
The video is from a press conference in December 2021. Mann made these remarks targeting the Congress party that was in power in Punjab at that time.
A video of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has gone viral on social media. While sharing it, some netizens have claimed that the recently elected chief minister has openly confessed that he does not have an idea about who is running the Punjab government.
In the video, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Mann can be heard speaking in Punjabi. His words translate to, "I don't know what was done to make whom happy. But the thing that is not understandable is who is actually running the government! The scenario of the government is like a bus without a driver which can crash into any pit at any moment."
While sharing this 13-second clip, users have also added a caption in Punjabi that mocks Mann-- "Here, the change (Bhagwant Mann) has gone mad."
Archived versions of some similar posts can be seen here and here.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found the claim to be misleading as the video is several months old. It was shot before the Aam Aadmi Party came to power in Punjab. In reality, Mann referred to the previous state government led by the Congress Party.
AFWA Probe
We first searched some keywords to know if Mann made any recent remarks as claimed in the viral video. But there was no such news.
However, after performing an advanced keyword search, we found a news report on "Punjabi Jagran" from December 17, 2021.
The Punjab assembly elections were held in February 2022, following which the AAP replaced Congress as the ruling party in the state.
The report mentioned that Bhagwant Mann attacked the then ruling party during a press conference. It quoted Mann as saying, "The Congress has also made a mockery of the government. No one knows who is running the government in Punjab. Officers are changing overnight. The AG and DGP have been changed twice."
Following this clue, we ran another keyword search that led us to a press conference video uploaded by the official YouTube channel of Bhagwant Mann on December 17, 2021. According to the description, the conference was held in Chandigarh.
We found that the viral video was clipped from this press meeting. We identified the now viral footage playing in the original video at the 13 minute 07 seconds mark. Almost 13 minutes into the video, a reporter is heard asking him, "Sir, you are talking about the government. But who is running it? Navjot Singh Sidhu or CM Charanjit Singh Channi?" This conversation led to Mann making the comments in question later.
Mann starts his response by saying, "Please let me know (who is running the government) if you come to know. Nobody has any clue who's actually running the government." After the driverless bus jibe, he again takes a dig at Congress by saying, "Congress has lost all hopes as they know that they aren't winning." This part has been cropped out from the viral video.
The full video of the press conference can be accessed here.
Punjab CM Mann and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal have been on the firing line of the opposition parties after an MoU was signed between the Punjab and Delhi governments for knowledge sharing and implementation of welfare schemes. According to reports, opposition parties Congress, Akali Dal and BJP have lashed out against the Punjab government for allegedly sharing power control with the Kejriwal-led Delhi government.
Thus, it can be concluded that it is a cropped portion of an old press meeting by Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann that has become viral with false claims.
(With inputs from Yash Mittal in New Delhi)
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