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| - Fact Check: Did Modi refer to Sonia Gandhi as Congress Ki Vidhwa?
Modi never openly mentioned Sonia's name while making the "widow" comment, it is left open to interpretation on social media as to what the PM actually meant to say.
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India Today Fact Check
Modi never openly mentioned Sonia Gandhi’s name while making the “widow” comment, it is left open to interpretation on social media as to what the PM actually meant to say.
Ahead of the big day when poll results of five states are to be declared, it seems political bickering has not yet ended, at least on social media. On the occasion of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's 72nd birthday on Sunday, a video clip of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech from Rajasthan campaign has gone viral.
Since then, Twitterati have been taking a jab at Modi for his "widow" comment made during the election campaign, claiming that the prime minister was targeting Sonia Gandhi.
Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha retweeted a post of party supporter Gaurav Pandhi along with this video clip, calling it "disgusting". The tweet claimed that "Modi addressed Rahul Gandhi's mother as 'Congress ki Vidhwa'. This is the difference between the cultures that Congress and RSS represent."
Disgusting. https://t.co/bMl51MKlBQ Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) December 9, 2018
Thousands of people retweeted Pandhi's tweet and viewed the video clip. In the 10-second video clip, the PM can be seen giving a speech wearing a saffron turban.
The video looks blurry, and Modi can be heard saying, "Yeh Congress ki kaunsi Vidhwa thi, jiske khaate mein rupaya ja taa tha?" (Who was the widow from the Congress in whose account money used to go?)
People reacted strongly against the prime minister for his "vidhwa" comment made allegedly referring to Sonia.
Politicians such as Shahid Siddiqui demanded that the prime minister should apologise for such comments.
Sonia Ji’s husband PM of India Shri Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by enemies of India. To call her Vidhwa and make fun of her is an insult to every Indian. Modi Ji should apologise to the nation. Nothing wrong in apologising for a mistake. https://t.co/WwI6DEWf5n shahid siddiqui (@shahid_siddiqui) December 9, 2018
India Today Fact Check found that PM Modi made this "vidhwa" comment during an election campaign in Jaipur. He did not take any name but used the word in a manner that many interpreted that it was directed at Sonia.
On December 4, in his Jaipur rally, PM Modi attacked the Congress on various "corruption" charges against the party. He was referring to the widow pension scheme.
Modi said there were names of thousands of "widows" present in the government list during the Congress rule which never existed in reality and "money used to go into these widow accounts".
Prime minister's speech is uploaded and available in his official YouTube channel. Right at the 42nd minute of the original speech, Modi began talking about this alleged widow pension scam.
The transcription of the exact portion of his speech, which is the bone of contention, reads, "Hamare desh mein, Congress ne aise sarkar chalayi ki jo beti paida nahin hui, jis beti ka janam nahin hua, wo Congress sarkaron ke kagaz pe vo beti vidhwa bhi ho gayi aur beti ka vidhwa pension bhi milna bhi shuru ho gaya... Yeh rupiye kaun kaun vidhwa thi jo leti thi? Yeh Congress ki kaunsi vidhwa thi, jiske khate mein rupiya jata tha?"
(The Congress used to run such a government where an unborn girl was registered as a widow in the government papersand the girl began getting widow pensionwho were those widows who used to get this money? Who was the widow in the Congress in whose account this money used to go?)
Modi during his election campaign had made scathing attacks against the Nehru-Gandhi family. The speech in reference is not an exception.
However, as Modi never openly mentioned Sonia's name while making the "widow" comment, it is left open to interpretation on social media as to what the PM actually meant to say.
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