Banner from a 2018 farmers’ protest by AIKS shared as recent

An image that shows a banner inscribed with the slogan, “Not Modi, Not Yogi, Not Jai Shri Ram, if someone rules the nation it has to be labourers and farmers” (न मोदी, न योगी, न जय श्री राम / देश पे राज करेगा तो मज़दूर किसान!!”). The image has been shared on Twitter and Facebook with the message, “This is happening in the guise on farmers’ movement.”

The image was tweeted by BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule. (archived link)

बात किसान बिल और किसानों के मुद्दों को लेकर शुरू हुई और कहाँ पहुँच गयी।

किसान आंदोलन की आड़ में ये सब हो रहा है। pic.twitter.com/kK0gEwhgre

— Chandrashekhar Bawankule (@cbawankule) December 2, 2020

It was also tweeted by Hindu Yuva Vahini leader Yogi Devnath who has over a million followers on the platform. His tweet was retweeted over 1,000 times. (archived link)

मोदी, योगी तो ठीक है पर राम का विरोधी मजदूर और किसान भारत का तो हो नहीं सकता। pic.twitter.com/q3oBCL1gpb

— yogi devnath (@YogiDevnath2) December 1, 2020

Similarly, BJP supporter Gaurav Pradhan posted this image, drawing over 1,000 likes. (archived link)

मोदी, योगी तो ठीक है पर राम का विरोधी मजदूर और किसान भारत का तो हो नहीं सकता। pic.twitter.com/jk3ERWnz9N

— Gaurav Pradhan 🇮🇳 (@OfficeOfDGP) December 1, 2020

Twitter user @RituRathaur wrote, “EXPOSED! #farmersagitation is nothing but PaK ISI sponsored Anti Hindu forces attacking Bharat Mata.” (archived link). In the past, @RituRathaur, Pradhan and Devnath have been found spreading misinformation.

EXPOSED!#farmersagitation is nothing but PaK ISI sponsored Anti Hindu forces attacking Bharat Mata.. pic.twitter.com/Xlf5boKH2X

— Ritu (सत्यसाधक) #EqualRightsForHindus (@RituRathaur) December 2, 2020

Many users have posted this image on Facebook as well. Alt News received several requests to authenticate the claim on our WhatsApp helpline number (+917600011160) and on our official Android application.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Old image

After a reverse image search, we found that this image is at least two years old. It was uploaded by Facebook page Jan Gan Man Ki Baat in December 2018. As per the post, it is from farmers’ protest in Delhi.

Around the time when the image was posted, farmers were agitating in the national capital. According to The Economics Times, All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, an alliance of various farmer bodies, had organised the protest called Kisan Mukti March. The Wire reported that over two lakh farmers participated in the protests on November 29 and 30.

The acronym ‘AIKS’ which stands for All India Kisan Sabha, affiliated to the CPI(M), can be spotted in the viral image. “Despite PM Modi’s recent statements that he had taken initiatives to solve farmers’ distress, the issues remain. For this betrayal, farmers will give Modi government and the BJP a befitting reply in 2019 election,” Ashok Dhawale, AIKS president, said at a press conference at the time.

According to The Wire, the demand of the protestors included apart from increased minimum support prices (MSP) and a one-time unconditional loan waiver, a special session of parliament dedicated to discussion around agrarian distress.

“There were farmers, young daughters whose fathers preferred suicide over living under a debt, widows whose husbands were devoured by the demon named agricultural crisis and tribals whose lands were snatched in the garb of commercialisation,” reported News18. The protests had a plethora of demands and slogans like ‘Ayodhya nahi, karz maafi chahiye’ were raised by the farmers.

Readers should note that the recent protests are against three new farm legislation passed by the Modi government.

While there might be overlapping issues in both protests, the viral image is not related to the recent movement. Several BJP members and supporters shared an old image of an AIKS placard to suggest that the protests are beyond the Farm Bills.