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| - Fact Check: No, this is NOT Rahul Gandhi posing with the producer of BBC documentary on Modi
Photo of Rahul Gandhi with the producer of the controversial BBC documentary on PM Modi has gone viral. However, this picture features Gandhi standing with Britain's former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and Indian investor Sam Pitroda.
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India Today Fact Check
This picture features Gandhi standing with Britain’s former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and Indian investor Sam Pitroda.
The recent BBC documentary, “India: The Modi Question”, which examines the role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 Gujarat riots, has triggered a massive row, both in India and overseas. While the Indian government banned the series, saying it reflected a “continuing colonial mindset”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi backed the documentary saying, “The truth always comes out.”
Now, a photo of Gandhi is being circulated on social media with the claim that it shows the Congress leader standing with the producer of the controversial BBC documentary. The archived versions of similar posts can be seen here, here, and here.
AFWA’s investigation, however, found that the men seen along with Gandhi in the photo are Britain’s former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and Indian investor Sam Pitroda.
AFWA Probe
With the help of a reverse search, we found multiple media reports from May 2022 that had carried the same photo. As per these reports, the photo is from Gandhi’s 2022 meeting with Britain's then Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and Indian investor Sam Pitroda in London, England.
The photograph was also shared by the Twitter account of the Indian Overseas Congress on May 23, 2022.
Reportedly, Gandhi’s meeting with Corbyn had at the time sparked a war of words between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress. The BJP criticised Gandhi for meeting Corbyn and allegedly endorsing the latter’s “anti-India” views. The Congress defended this by sharing pictures of the Labour leader with PM Modi.
Who produced “India: The Modi Question”?
According to the BBC, the producer of the series is Richard Cookson and its executive producer is Mike Radford.
The BBC is regulated by its executive board and UK's government-approved regulatory authority, Ofcom. According to the Indian Express, a major part of the BBC’s funding comes from an annual television fee. The British broadcaster also gets income from its commercial subsidiaries, BBC Studios and BBC Studioworks.
We couldn't find any credible report about Corbyn’s association with the controversial BBC documentary on Modi. In fact, in 2019, supporters of Corbyn accused the BBC of favouring Boris Johnson.
It is hence clear that the photograph in question does not show Rahul Gandhi meeting the producer of the controversial BBC documentary.
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