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| - Fact Check: Karnataka BJP shares fake letter involving Sonia Gandhi
India Today's Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found the letter to be a fake. The organisations named in the letter do not even exist.
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India Today Fact Check
The viral letter is not true as the organisations named in the letter do not exist.
A letter allegedly exposing the Congress party's plan to divide Hindu communities in Karnataka to bag votes has been circulating on social media. The post claims that the letter was written by Congress leader MB Patil to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in July 2017.
Among others, a Facebook page by the name BJYM Chandigarh has posted the letter with the caption saying: "The letter written to Sonia Gandhi by Congress leader MB Patil exposes shocking details of how Sonia Gandhi wanted to divide Hindu communities."
India Today's Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found the letter to be a fake. The organisations named in the letter do not even exist.
The archived version of the post can be seen here.
The alleged letter, written on the letterhead of Bijapur Lingayat District Educational Association (BLDE Association) of which Patil is the president, is also shared by Facebook users Chowkidar Hitesh Tiwary and Narsimh Prasad.
The official Twitter handle of BJP Karnataka uploaded the letter on Tuesday (April 16) morning to which Karnataka Congress quickly responded through a short video dismissing its authenticity.
"The letter is FAKE
Initiating legal action for forgery against those who produced and published it
Will pursue this matter to it's logical legal conclusion, even to the Supreme court if need be, against all those who are involved": @MBPatil, Home Minister, Karnataka pic.twitter.com/yWw5Tx9Swd Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) April 16, 2019
In the video, MB Patil, incumbent Home Minister of Karnataka, said the letter is a fake and legal action will be taken against those who produced and published it.
AFWA's investigation did not find any trace of the organisations 'Global Christian Council (GCC)' and 'World Islamic Organisation (WIO)' on the internet. These organisations were named in the letter, with whose help the Congress had allegedly schemed to execute the plan of dividing Lingayats in the state.
This is not the first time this letter has stirred controversy. Earlier, during Karnataka Assembly elections in May 2018, the same letter went viral. At that time, Boomlive had debunked the claim.
Well well well@INCKarnataka, news about M B Patil writing to Sonia Gandhi about dividing Lingayats & Veershaiva was published by @VVani4U
Are you saying the media published fake news ?
Why lie when caught dividing the society based on caste. It’s your old habit anyway. https://t.co/s47YcWKBSK BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) April 16, 2019
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