Fact Check: DOCTORED image of Rahul Gandhi having alcohol and chicken during Bharat Jodo Yatra viral
A photo of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi eating chicken drumsticks and drinking alcohol is going viral. The photograph was supposedly taken during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. AFWA's investigation, however, found the image to be doctored.
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India Today Fact Check
This is a doctored image. The original photo featured Rahul Gandhi with a cup of either tea or coffee and plates of dry fruits. It was supposedly shot in a dhaba near Karnal, Haryana.
The Congress party's Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi is approaching its last lap as it moves towards Kashmir. As the Yatra moved through Haryana, a photo of the former Congress party president made the rounds on social media. The photo showed Rahul Gandhi eating.
Among the many things on the table in front of Gandhi was a plate of what looked like chicken drumsticks and a glass of alcohol. The photograph was supposedly taken in during the Yatra. This image was shared by many with captions taking sarcastic digs at the Congress leader like: "The ascetic, absorbed in penance."
AFWA's investigation found this image was doctored. The original photo does not feature either alcohol or meat in it.
AFWA Probe
A reverse image search of the viral image took us to a tweet by a verified Twitter user named Gurpreet Garry Walia, who identifies himself as a journalist in his bio. This image showed Gandhi with a glass of what looked like either tea or coffee in front of him and plates of dry fruit.
This tweet from January 8 read: "Bhakts must be zooming into the image to check if they can find any flaws in it." Comparing both images made it clear that a glass of alcohol and a plate of chicken was later added digitally to the original one.
When searching with relevant keywords, we came across a Times Now report published on January 9, decoding Gandhi’s diet through this Yatra. This report also featured a tweet by journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta who shared the same image of Rahul Gandhi shot inside a cafe.
Per Guha Thakurta’s tweet from January 7, he met Gandhi when the Yatra crossed Punjab. Thakurta mentioned that they met while Gandhi was eating at a dhaba a few kilometres away from Haryana's Karnal.
Whether Rahul Gandhi eats meat or drinks alcohol is beyond the scope of this story. However, it is more than clear that the image that has gone viral was photoshopped.
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