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| - Fact Check: Were Rahul and Priyanka caught joking on way to meet Hathras victim's kin?
A picture and a video of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are circulating on social media linking it to their recent visit to Hathras. Netizens mocked them saying 'this is how serious they are about the incident'.
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India Today Fact Check
The picture was taken in April last year when the Gandhi siblings met at Kanpur airport, and has no connection to the Hathras incident. The sound of giggling can be heard in the video but we are not sure who was laughing as their faces are not clearly visible.
A picture and a video of Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi are circulating on social media linking it to their recent visit to Hathras. Several Facebook and Twitter users have claimed that both were cracking jokes and laughing on their way to meet the victim’s family. Netizens mocked them saying this is how serious they are about the incident.
In the viral picture, the Gandhi siblings are seen in a jovial mood with their arms around each other. Several Facebook users have posted the image with a sarcastic caption in Hindi which translates to, “Opposition leaders going to Hathras with immense sadness on their faces.”
The archived versions of the posts can be seen here, here a
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found the claim with the image to be misleading. The picture was taken in April last year when Rahul and Priyanka met at Kanpur airport in Uttar Pradesh. The two were headed in different directions to attend their respective party meetings and were clicked sharing a lighter moment.
This picture was published on several news websites on April 27, 2019.
According to these reports, on that day, Rahul was on his way to Amethi for election campaigning from Kanpur airport when he came across his sister who was headed to a different meeting. The duo exchanged greetings and posed for photos.
Rahul reportedly pulled her leg and said jokingly, “Let me tell you what it means to be a good brother. I am going on a massive, massive ride but I have got a small helicopter, and Priyanka is going on a really small ride but she has got a big helicopter,” to which the two laughed.
The picture was tweeted by several Congress handles and the video was posted on Rahul’s Facebook page the same day.
Hence, it can be concluded that the viral picture is over a year old and has no relation to the Hathras incident.
The viral video
A short clip of the Gandhi siblings inside a car has also gone viral. While Priyanka is seen behind the steering wheel, Rahul is seated by her side.
Several political leaders have attacked the duo claiming that it shows their lack of genuine intention as both were cracking jokes and laughing while on their way to Hathras.
In the 16-second video, Rahul and Priyanka are heard exchanging some words, though it is not clearly audible what transpires between them. Then the giggling sound is heard.
, , , UP , ,UP pic.twitter.com/qZlCJg0Viz — Shalabh Mani Tripathi (@shalabhmani) October 3, 2020
The viral video was recently shared by several Congress leaders where the giggling can be heard clearly. Some other party leaders have edited out the giggling part and shared only 10 seconds of the video. According to these tweets, both the leaders were on their way to Hathras to meet the victim’s family on October 3.
In the video, we cannot see the faces of Rahul and Priyanka clearly as it was taken from behind. We are not sure exactly who was laughing, but since the same video has been shared by several Congress leaders along with the giggling sound, we cannot rule out the possibility of the video being real.
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