Congress twitter handle shares old video as public outrage in PM Modi’s Jaipur rally

Indian National Congress and Divya Spandana, head of INC social media have shared a five-month old video of Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje’s rally claiming to be a video of PM Modi’s Jaipur rally on July 7, 2018. In the video, people can be heard chanting, “मोदी तुसे बैर नहीं, वसुंधरा तेरी खैर नहीं और वसुंधरा तेरे चक्कर में, मोदी मारा जायेगा (We have nothing against you Modi, but Vasundhara won’t be spared and because of Vasudhara, Modi will also have to bear the brunt -translated)“. The tweet from the official INC handle has been retweeted more than 1100 times and ‘liked’ more than 1900 times.

Hey @facebook we’re unable to upload this video on our facebook page https://t.co/NPOcx4pW6n. Can you tell us why? Or should we ask @rsprasad? pic.twitter.com/ol4TEiF9Zr

— Congress (@INCIndia) July 7, 2018

INC’s social media head, Divya Spandana also claimed that Facebook wasn’t allowing them to upload the said video.

Tried uploading this video on @facebook but for some strange reason, Facebook is not publishing it. Can you guys try and revert?
It’s a video from @narendramodi rally today in Jaipur. pic.twitter.com/t5SSIZpnsW

— Divya Spandana/Ramya (@divyaspandana) July 7, 2018

The Congress twitter handle also took pot-shots at PM Modi. They tweeted, “While PM Modi is gaining control of @facebook, he’s losing control of his cadre. Open infighting on display at PM Modi’s Jaipur rally.”

While PM Modi is gaining control of @facebook, he’s losing control of his cadre. Open infighting on display at PM Modi’s Jaipur rally. https://t.co/aedJDz6aN5

— Congress (@INCIndia) July 7, 2018

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Following the band wagon

Sachin Pilot, Rajasthan Congress President questioned the role of media for not showing “parts of the allegedly ‘successful’ rally” . A screenshot of the deleted tweet can be seen below.

Many prominent people including Prashant Bhushan and Pranajoy Guha Thakurta also retweeted Divya Spandana’s tweet.

Congress realises its faux pas

Realising their blunder, Congress twitter handle clarified that the video belonged to a CM Vasundhara Raje rally in Jhunjhunu, where the Prime Minister was also present.

Oops..this video was taken in Jhunjhunu and not in Jaipur, where CM Vasundhara Raje and PM Modi were present, as the infighting between the BJP cadre broke out. https://t.co/Kqlt0dp0Qe

— Congress (@INCIndia) July 7, 2018

Divya Spandana also tweeted an apology which extended into whataboutery.

Apologies: apparently this video is from March and not yesterday…gosh Rajasthan BJP lost it that long back??

— Divya Spandana/Ramya (@divyaspandana) July 7, 2018

Origins of the video

Googling the words “मोदी तुसे बैर नहीं, वसुंधरा तेरी खैर नहीं” and applying a time filter, we were about to find the original video.

The video was published by new4rajasthan YouTube channel on March 8, 2018.

A report by Hindustan Times on March 8, 2018 stated, “Public anger against chief minister Vasundhara Raje was apparent on Thursday as a section of the crowd waved black flags at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public meeting in Jhunjhunu to launch the National Nutrition Mission and extend the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign.”

Rajasthan police arrested 8 people for waving black flags at PM Modi’s rally.

This is not the first faux pas by the official Congress twitter handle. In February 2018, Congress conducted a poll based on false, click-bait headlines which claimed that Centre was planning to introduce 13 digit mobile numbers. In a rush to score brownie points, the Congress social media team failed to check the veracity of the content and ended up losing face.