{"id":25081,"date":"2019-01-10T20:39:33","date_gmt":"2019-01-10T15:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/?p=25081"},"modified":"2019-01-10T20:39:33","modified_gmt":"2019-01-10T15:09:33","slug":"december-round-up-link-between-elections-and-rise-in-misinformation-evident-yet-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/december-round-up-link-between-elections-and-rise-in-misinformation-evident-yet-again\/","title":{"rendered":"December round-up: Link between elections and rise in misinformation evident yet again"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Assembly elections to five states were held in the month of December and expectedly, politics became the major theme of misinformation\/disinformation throughout the month. Interestingly, the flurry of misinformation was not restricted to the run-up to the elections but continued well after polling had ended and new governments had been formed in the states.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>MISINFORMATION PRIOR TO ELECTIONS<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>1. Amit Shah makes misleading claims about Telangana Congress manifesto<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Addressing a public rally in Telangana in the beginning of December ahead of the assembly election, BJP President Amit Shah made a series of claims about the Congress party&#8217;s manifesto for Telangana. Shah claimed that the Congress party in its manifesto had made a slew of promises specifically targeting the minority communities and excluding the majority Hindu community in the state.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Telangana election rally: Amit Shah claims &quot;Congress to provide electricity only to mosques and churches&quot;\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/303979022?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Alt News found that several of these claims made by Amit Shah were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/amit-shah-makes-misleading-claims-regarding-telengana-congress-manifesto\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">unfounded or misleading<\/a>. For instance, Shah had claimed that Congress had promised free electricity to churches and mosques but not temples, or that scholarships would be provided only to students of minority communities. This was untrue.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Fake screenshot of ABP News targeting Rahul Gandhi<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>An image of what was purportedly a screenshot of the Hindi news channel ABP News was shared widely on social media, carrying an alleged quote of Congress President Rahul Gandhi, according to which he had said that it is necessary to support Pakistan and that he will do the same, promising Rs.5000 crore loan to Pakistan without interest for the next 50 years!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23556\" src=\"http:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/12\/rahul_pak_abp.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"380\" height=\"503\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/12\/rahul_pak_abp.jpg 380w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/12\/rahul_pak_abp-227x300.jpg 227w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/12\/rahul_pak_abp-317x420.jpg 317w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 380px) 100vw, 380px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The screenshot circulating on social media was<a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/did-rahul-gandhi-suggest-a-5000-crore-loan-for-pakistan-fake-screenshot-of-abp-news-viral\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> fake<\/a>. No such news was flashed on the channel, as claimed. Alt News spoke to\u00a0Pankaj Jha, editor at\u00a0<em>ABP News<\/em>\u00a0who confirmed,\u00a0<em>\u201cAll of these screenshots are fake\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Fake newspaper clip targeting Amit Shah<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A purported newspaper clip viral on social media claimed that BJP chief Amit Shah called the Baniya community \u2018thieves\u2019 and accused them of profiteering. It was suggested that Shah made this statement while rallying ahead of Rajasthan elections in Bundi. The earliest instance of this viral clip, that Alt News found, was circulated by Twitter handle\u00a0<em>@KedarKansanaINC.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"hi\">\u0938\u093e\u0925\u093f\u092f\u094b\u0902..\u092d\u093e\u091c\u092a\u093e \u0915\u0947 \u0930\u093e\u0937\u094d\u091f\u094d\u0930\u0940\u092f \u0905\u0927\u094d\u092f\u0915\u094d\u0937 \u0905\u092e\u093f\u0924 \u0936\u093e\u0939 \u0915\u0940 \u092f\u0939 \u092d\u093e\u0937\u093e \u0938\u093f\u0930\u094d\u092b \u0938\u0924\u094d\u0924\u093e \u0915\u093e \u0928\u0936\u093e \u0939\u0948!\u091a\u093f\u0902\u0924\u093e \u092e\u0924 \u0915\u0930\u094b \u092c\u0928\u093f\u092f\u093e \u0939\u0940 \u0924\u0941\u092e\u093e\u0930\u0947 \u0938\u0924\u094d\u0924\u093e \u0915\u0947 \u0928\u0936\u093e \u0915\u094b 2019 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0909\u0924\u093e\u0930\u0947\u0902\u0917\u0947..<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RahulGandhi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@RahulGandhi<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/INCIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@INCIndia<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/INCMP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@INCMP<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/v5wglqjeJ8\">pic.twitter.com\/v5wglqjeJ8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kedar Kansana (@KedarKansanaINC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KedarKansanaINC\/status\/1071682575779786753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 9, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Alt News<a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/did-amit-shah-call-baniyas-thieves-and-cheaters-fake-newspaper-clip-viral\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> fact-checked<\/a> this claim and found that Shah had not said anything to that effect in his speech at Bundi, where it was claimed that this comment had been made. The newspaper clip circulated on social media was fake.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>MISINFORMATION CONTINUES AFTER ELECTIONS<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>1. Fake message ascribed to <em>NYT<\/em> author praising PM Modi<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>After the results of the assembly elections in five states were announced on December 11, a message began circulating on multiple social media platforms and WhatsApp. It was claimed to be the observation of an \u2018author\u2019 of\u00a0<em>The<\/em>\u00a0<em>New York Times<\/em>, the popular American newspaper. The message sought to build a wave of sympathy for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party, and denigrated Indian citizens for having a\u00a0<em>\u201cshort memory and narrow vision\u201d<\/em>, for failing to recognize the need to\u00a0<em>\u201cfix long term issues\u201d<\/em>\u00a0which PM Modi is successfully doing.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23989\" src=\"http:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/12\/renuka_jain.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"449\" height=\"476\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/12\/renuka_jain.jpg 449w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/12\/renuka_jain-283x300.jpg 283w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/12\/renuka_jain-396x420.jpg 396w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 449px) 100vw, 449px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Alt News found that there is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/fake-message-ascribed-to-new-york-times-author-praising-pm-narendra-modi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">no such article<\/a> on\u00a0<em>The New York Times<\/em>\u00a0listing out the contents of the viral message. Moreover, the write-up attributed to a <em>New York Times<\/em> author, not only did not specify the name of the author, but was also replete with spelling and grammatical errors. Similarly, an emotional appeal to PM Modi <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/dear-pm-we-dont-deserve-a-person-like-you-emotional-appeal-falsely-attributed-to-arnab-goswami\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">falsely attributed<\/a> to Arnab Goswami was shared widely after the elections.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. False claim of Rahul Gandhi converting to Islam after polls<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><em>\u201c\u091a\u0941\u0928\u093e\u0935 \u0959\u0924\u094d\u092e \u0939\u094b\u0924\u0947 \u0939\u0940 \u0905\u092a\u0928\u0947 \u0905\u0938\u0932\u0940 \u0930\u0902\u0917 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0906 \u0917\u092f\u0947 \u091c\u0928\u0947\u090a\u0927\u093e\u0930\u0940 \u0930\u093e\u0939\u0941\u0932 \u092c\u093e\u092c\u093e\u201d(Janeudhari Rahul baba back to his true colours after conclusion of polls- translated).\u00a0<\/em>This message was viral on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/search\/str\/%E0%A4%9A%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B5%20%E0%A5%99%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%20%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%87%20%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%80%20%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%87%20%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%80%20%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%97%20%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%86%20%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%87%20%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B2\/stories-keyword\/stories-live?ref=top_filter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search?f=tweets&amp;vertical=default&amp;q=%E0%A4%9A%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B5%20%E0%A5%99%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%20%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%87%20%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%80%20%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%87%20%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%80%20%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%97%20%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%86%20%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%87%20%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B2&amp;src=typd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a>\u00a0from December 17, 2018 along with a video. In the video, Rahul Gandhi can be seen offering namaz along with senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and some members of the Muslim community. It was claimed that this video was taken after the recent assembly elections.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fb-video\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Lakshya2019\/videos\/606217539810134\/\" data-width=\"auto\" data-show-text=\"true\">\n<blockquote class=\"fb-xfbml-parse-ignore\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Lakshya2019\/videos\/606217539810134\/\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Lakshya2019\/videos\/606217539810134\/\">\u091a\u0941\u0928\u093e\u0935 \u0959\u0924\u094d\u092e \u0939\u094b\u0924\u0947 \u0939\u0940 \u0905\u092a\u0928\u0947 \u0905\u0938\u0932\u0940 \u0930\u0902\u0917 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0906 \u0917\u092f\u0947 \u091c\u0928\u0947\u090a\u0927\u093e\u0930\u0940 \u0930\u093e\u0939\u0941\u0932 \u092c\u093e\u092c\u093e<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u091a\u0941\u0928\u093e\u0935 \u0959\u0924\u094d\u092e \u0939\u094b\u0924\u0947 \u0939\u0940 \u0905\u092a\u0928\u0947 \u0905\u0938\u0932\u0940 \u0930\u0902\u0917 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0906 \u0917\u092f\u0947 \u091c\u0928\u0947\u090a\u0927\u093e\u0930\u0940 \u0930\u093e\u0939\u0941\u0932 \u092c\u093e\u092c\u093e<\/p>\n<p>Posted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Lakshya2019\/\">India272+<\/a> on Monday, December 17, 2018<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p>Alt News found that the video in question was<a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/viral-old-video-of-rahul-gandhi-with-the-claim-that-he-has-converted-to-islam-after-polls\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> two years old<\/a>, shot when Rahul Gandhi had paid tribute at the Kichochha Dargah in Ambedkar Nagar, Uttar Pradesh.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Rahul Gandhi targeted over loan waiver promise through clipped videos<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>After the assembly elections ended, a video of Congress President Rahul Gandhi began to circulate on social media. In the video, Gandhi could be heard making an about-turn on his party&#8217;s pre-poll promise of loan waiver for farmers.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23868\" src=\"http:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/12\/bhaiyaji_rahul_tweet.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"574\" height=\"574\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/12\/bhaiyaji_rahul_tweet.jpg 574w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/12\/bhaiyaji_rahul_tweet-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/12\/bhaiyaji_rahul_tweet-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/12\/bhaiyaji_rahul_tweet-420x420.jpg 420w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 574px) 100vw, 574px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The video shared on social media was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/viral-mischievously-clipped-video-of-rahul-gandhi-suggesting-about-turn-on-farm-loan-waiver\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">mischievously clipped<\/a>. In the entire video, Gandhi could be heard saying, <em>&#8220;Loan waiver is a supporting step. It is not a solution. The solutions would be complex, it would be to support them, build infrastructure, provide access to technology and frankly, the solution is not easy. It is challenging and we will do it, but we will have to work with farmers and the people of the country, and we will do it.\u201d (translated).\u00a0<\/em>A few days later, Gandhi was<a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/rahul-gandhi-targeted-again-over-farm-loan-waiver-clipped-video-viral\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> targeted again<\/a> over the same issue through another clipped video.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>4. Pakistani flag waved at Congress&#8217; victory rally<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Pakistani flag invariably makes an appearance on social media during elections. It was claimed that the Pakistani flag was waved at a victory rally of the Congress party in Rajasthan after it emerged victorious in the polls.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23844\" src=\"http:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/12\/pak_flag2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"401\" height=\"582\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/12\/pak_flag2.jpg 401w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/12\/pak_flag2-207x300.jpg 207w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/12\/pak_flag2-289x420.jpg 289w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The green-coloured flag waved at the victory rally was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/viral-false-claim-of-pakistani-flag-waved-at-congress-victory-rally-in-rajasthan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NOT the flag of Pakistan<\/a>. Alt News independently verified this. Moreover, Rajasthan police tweeted a clarification asking people not to fall for this rumour.<\/p>\n<p>Madhu Kishwar and Tarek Fatah had tweeted another video in which they had made a similar claim- of Pakistani flags waved at Congress&#8217; victory rally.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-25115\" src=\"http:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/madhu_pak.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"696\" height=\"687\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/madhu_pak.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/madhu_pak-300x296.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/madhu_pak-426x420.jpg 426w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This too was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/tarek-fatah-tweets-old-video-falsely-claiming-muslims-waved-pak-flags-to-celebrate-congress-victory\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">false<\/a>. In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/video-of-rioting-in-gujarat-viral-as-clashes-in-rajasthan-after-congresss-victory\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">yet another instance<\/a>, a video of rioting in Gujarat was shared as violence in Rajasthan after Congress&#8217; win.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>ATTEMPTS TO FOMENT COMMUNAL TENSION<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>1. Tibetan funeral ritual passed off as &#8216;Rohingyas eating Hindus&#8217;<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><em>\u201c\u0921\u0930\u093e\u0935\u0928\u0940 \u0916\u092c\u0930 \u2013 \u0939\u093f\u0928\u094d\u0926\u0942 \u0915\u093e \u0915\u0924\u0932 \u0915\u0930 \u0909\u0928\u0915\u093e \u092e\u093e\u0938 \u0916\u093e \u0930\u0939\u0947 \u0930\u094b\u0939\u093f\u0902\u0917\u094d\u092f\u093e, \u092e\u0947\u0935\u093e\u0924 \u0915\u093e \u092e\u093e\u092e\u0932\u093e, \u0916\u092c\u0930 \u0935\u093f\u091a\u0932\u093f\u0924 \u0915\u0930 \u0938\u0915\u0924\u0940 \u0939\u0948 (Horrfying News \u2013 Rohingyas are killing Hindus and eating their flesh, a case from Mewat, this news may send shivers down your spine -translated),\u201d\u00a0<\/em>read the headline of an article published by fake news website\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dbn.news\/2018\/12\/rohingyas-eating-hindus-flesh\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dainik Bharat<\/a>\u00a0on December 18, 2018. The article carried photographs depicting people dismembering dead bodies.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-25118\" src=\"http:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/dainik_tibetan.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"696\" height=\"272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/dainik_tibetan.png 696w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/dainik_tibetan-300x117.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The images were not of &#8216;Rohingyas eating Hindus&#8217; as claimed. They were representative of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/not-a-picture-of-rohingyas-eating-hindus-it-is-a-tibetan-funeral-ritual\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">funeral ritual<\/a> of the Tibetan people who believe in donating their dead bodies to wild birds.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Accused in Karnataka temple poisoning case falsely claimed to be Christian<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Over 15 people were killed in an incident of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiatoday.in\/india\/story\/poisonous-prasad-14-dead-karnataka-temple-1411705-2018-12-18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">food poisoning<\/a>\u00a0at a temple in Chamarajanagar in Karnataka on December 17. The source of the poison was the prasada offered to the devotees of the temple. A section of right-wing supporters on social media have claimed that one of the accused in the case, Ambika is actually Sylvia Ambika and that she is a Christian.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-25120\" src=\"http:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/meena_temple.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"520\" height=\"236\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/meena_temple.jpg 520w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/meena_temple-300x136.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In a conversation with Alt News, Dharmendra Kumar Meena, Superintendent of Police, Chamarajanagar District stated that this claim is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/no-accused-in-karnataka-temple-poisoning-case-is-not-christian\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">baseless and false<\/a>.\u00a0<em>\u201cThis is completely fake. Ambika is a distant relative of the seer and both belong to the same village and the same community. We will issue a clarification through our social media handles.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. False claim of Muslims attacking Hindus in Rajasthan<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><em>\u0930\u093e\u091c\u0938\u094d\u0925\u093e\u0928 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0915\u093e\u0902\u0917\u094d\u0930\u0947\u0938 \u0938\u0930\u0915\u093e\u0930 \u092c\u0928\u0924\u0947 \u0939\u0940 \u092a\u093e\u0915\u093f\u0938\u094d\u0924\u093e\u0928 \u0938\u0947 \u0932\u0917\u0947 \u091c\u0948\u0938\u0932\u092e\u0947\u0930 \u0915\u0947 \u0926\u093e\u0930\u094d\u0924\u0940 \u0917\u093e\u0902\u0935 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0936\u093e\u0902\u0924\u093f\u0926\u0942\u0924 \u092e\u0941\u0938\u094d\u0932\u093f\u092e\u094b \u0926\u094d\u0935\u093e\u0930\u093e \u092e\u093e\u0930\u0935\u093e\u0921\u0940 \u0939\u093f\u0928\u094d\u0926\u0942\u0913 \u0915\u0947 \u0918\u0930 \u091c\u0932\u093e\u092f\u0947 \u0917\u090f \u0914\u0930 \u0926\u094b \u0939\u093f\u0902\u0926\u0942\u0913 \u0915\u094b \u092e\u094c\u0924 \u0915\u0947 \u0918\u093e\u091f \u0909\u0924\u093e\u0930 \u0926\u093f\u092f\u093e (After Congress formed govt in Rajasthan, peaceful muslims in Darti village near Jaisalmer attacked Marwari Hindus, burning their houses. Two Hindus killed- translation)<\/em>. This message was shared on Facebook along with a video which showed women wailing over the loss of their loved ones in violence.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-25122\" src=\"http:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/rajasthan_hindu_musli.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"454\" height=\"474\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/rajasthan_hindu_musli.jpg 454w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/rajasthan_hindu_musli-287x300.jpg 287w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/rajasthan_hindu_musli-402x420.jpg 402w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 454px) 100vw, 454px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Alt News <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/muslims-attacked-hindus-in-rajasthan-after-polls-video-from-bangladesh-shared-with-false-claim\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fact-checked<\/a> this claim and found that the video is not from Rajasthan. It is not even from India. The video is from Bangladesh and dates back to 2013 when violence against religious minorities had broken out in Noakhali district.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>MISINFORMATION BY MEDIA ORGANISATIONS<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>1. Sudarshan News links Tablighi Ijtema with Bulandshahr mob violence<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><em>&#8220;In the unrest following the Bulandshahr Ijtema, children are stuck in schools and crying, people are in the forest, they have shut the doors of their homes- residents in live conversation with Sudarshan&#8221;- translated.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This message was tweeted by Suresh Chavhanke, the editor-in-chief of\u00a0<em>Sudarshan News<\/em>.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/city\/meerut\/tablighi-ijtema-congregation-brings-bulandshahr-to-grinding-halt\/articleshow\/66911283.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Tablighi Ijtema<\/em>\u00a0<\/a>is a three day Islamic gathering that took place at Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh from December 1-3. On December 3, a cop was\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.asianage.com\/india\/all-india\/031218\/violence-in-ups-bulandshahr-over-cow-slaughter-cop-killed.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">killed<\/a>\u00a0after a mob protesting alleged illegal cow slaughter clashed with the police in Siana tehsil of Bulandshahr district. By prefacing the tweet with \u201c\u092c\u0941\u0932\u0902\u0926\u0936\u0939\u0930_\u0907\u091c\u094d\u0924\u0947\u092e\u093e \u0915\u0947 \u092c\u0935\u093e\u0932\u201d (Unrest after Bulandshahr Ijtema \u2013 translated), <em>Sudarshan News<\/em> suggested that the Ijtema was somehow linked with the violence in which the cop was killed.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"hi\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/%E0%A4%AC%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%B0_%E0%A4%87%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#\u092c\u0941\u0932\u0902\u0926\u0936\u0939\u0930_\u0907\u091c\u094d\u0924\u0947\u092e\u093e<\/a> \u0915\u0947 \u092c\u0935\u093e\u0932 \u0915\u0947 \u092c\u093e\u0926 \u0915\u0908 \u0938\u094d\u0915\u0942\u0932\u094b\u0902 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u092c\u091a\u094d\u091a\u0947 \u092b\u0901\u0938\u0947 \u0939\u0948, \u0930\u094b \u0930\u0939\u0947 \u0939\u0948, \u0932\u094b\u0917 \u091c\u0902\u0917\u0932 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0939\u0948, \u0918\u0930\u094b\u0902 \u0915\u0947 \u0926\u0930\u0935\u093e\u091c\u093c\u0947 \u092c\u0902\u0926 \u0915\u0930 \u0915\u0947 \u0932\u094b\u0917 \u0938\u0939\u092e\u0947 \u0939\u0942\u090f \u0939\u0948- \u0938\u0941\u0926\u0930\u094d\u0936\u0928 \u0938\u0947 \u0932\u093e\u0908\u0935 \u092c\u093e\u0924\u091a\u0940\u0924 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0938\u094d\u0925\u093e\u0928\u0940\u092f \u0932\u094b\u0917\u0964 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/%E0%A4%AC%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%B0_%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%82_%E0%A4%AC%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B2?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#\u092c\u0941\u0932\u0902\u0926\u0936\u0939\u0930_\u092e\u0947\u0902_\u092c\u0935\u093e\u0932<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SudarshanNewsTV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SudarshanNewsTV<\/a> \u092a\u0930 \u0932\u093e\u0908\u0935<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Suresh Chavhanke STV (@SureshChavhanke) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SureshChavhanke\/status\/1069538940175011840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 3, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Bulandshahr police <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/sudarshan-news-links-tablighi-istema-with-mob-violence-in-bulandshahr-police-denies-connection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">clarified via twitter<\/a> that the violence which shook the town was NOT related in any way to the\u00a0<em>Ijtema<\/em>\u00a0gathering. Replying to Chavhanke\u2019s tweet, police appealed not to spread misinformation about the violence.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Indian media falls for fake news from Netherlands<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The release of S Shankar\u2019s \u20182.0\u2019, a Tamil science fiction movie starring Rajnikanth and Akshay Kumar, sparked up a discourse on the effects of\u00a0electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation on birds. The film\u2019s message \u2013 birds die due to\u00a0radiation \u2013 was portrayed with scenes showing them crash into cell phone towers. Several media organisations reported that this had indeed happened in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-25127\" src=\"http:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/zee_birds.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"537\" height=\"592\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/zee_birds.jpg 537w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/zee_birds-272x300.jpg 272w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/zee_birds-381x420.jpg 381w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 537px) 100vw, 537px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Media reports claiming that birds crashing into towers and dying due to EMF radiations, as shown in \u20182.0\u2019, is likely to happen because a similar incident occurred in The Netherlands, were<a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/will-birds-die-as-shown-in-2-0-indian-media-falls-for-fake-news-from-netherlands\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> not only wrong<\/a> but their assertions were unfounded.<\/p>\n<p>Apart from the above, there were numerous other instances of misinformation\/disinformation.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>1. False claim by PM Modi on Karnataka farm loan waiver<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a jibe at the ruling coalition regime in Karnataka and claimed that while they had promised loan waivers for lakhs of farmers, till date only 800 farmers have been benefited.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"hi\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/PMInGhazipur?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#PMInGhazipur<\/a>: Karnataka mein laakhon kisaano ka karz maafi ka vaada kiya tha lekin sirf 800 kisaano ka karz maaf hua. Ye kaisa khel hai, kaisa dhoka hai? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JtIj2W3noD\">pic.twitter.com\/JtIj2W3noD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ANINewsUP\/status\/1078930520657006592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 29, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>PM Modi\u2019s claim that only 800 farmers have availed the farm loan waiver is<a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/pm-modi-makes-false-claim-of-karnataka-government-waiving-loans-of-only-800-farmers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> outdated<\/a>. The origin of this claim is a\u00a0December 13,\u00a0<em>Times of India\u00a0<\/em>report in which it was\u00a0reported that the Karnataka government has distributed the sum of Rs 44,000 cr mandated for farm loan waiver scheme to 800 farmers. It further stated,<em>\u201cCooperation minister Bandeppa Kashempur told the legislative that only about 800 farmers have availed the benefits of the scheme announced, by the CM on July 5.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>Since then, there have been multiple reports which illustrate the progress in the disbursement of loan waiver by the Karnataka government.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Giriraj Singh terms Congress &#8216;world&#8217;s 2nd most corrupt party&#8217; on basis of fake news website<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Union Minister and BJP MP Giriraj Singh\u00a0tweeted\u00a0on December 24 \u2013\u00a0<em>\u201cTop 10 List of Most Corrupt Political Party in the World 2018 and Rahul Gandhi led congress making it all the way to 2nd spot \u2026congratulations to the most corrupt political party.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>In a little over two hours, Singh\u2019s tweet attracted over 1,000 likes and 474 retweets. Giriraj Singh later <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/girirajsinghbjp\/status\/1077046408702763008\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">deleted his tweet<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-25132\" src=\"http:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/giriraj_cong.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"529\" height=\"420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/giriraj_cong.png 529w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/giriraj_cong-300x238.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 529px) 100vw, 529px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The website <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/giriraj-singh-quotes-fake-news-website-term-congress-worlds-2nd-most-corrupt-party\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>BBC News Hub<\/em><\/a>, which had published this &#8216;list&#8217; of &#8216;most corrupt political parties in the world&#8217;, is a fake news website.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. False claim about <em>Statue of Unity<\/em> developing cracks<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201c<em>After successfully damaged 2000 notes within 2 years Sardar Statue cracking in 2 weeks<\/em>\u201d Three close-up pictures of the recently inaugurated<em> Statue of Unity<\/em> were being\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/permalink.php?story_fbid=2161055317262495&amp;id=100000741436480\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">circulated<\/a>\u00a0on social media. On these pictures, certain sections of the statue have been highlighted with a blue outline. Within the areas marked by the blue outline, one can see white markings. These markings were claimed to be cracks that have developed on the statue that was inaugurated with much fanfare on October 31, 2018.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-25134\" src=\"http:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/statue_cracks.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"598\" height=\"778\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/statue_cracks.jpg 598w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/statue_cracks-231x300.jpg 231w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2019\/01\/statue_cracks-323x420.jpg 323w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 598px) 100vw, 598px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/no-statue-of-unity-has-not-developed-cracks-as-suggested-on-social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">no truth<\/a> to this claim. The statue consists of thousands of metal plates made out of a bronze alloy which have been welded together. A special type of welding has been used for this purpose, which gives the illusion that these are cracks.<\/p>\n<p>The month of December was, in a sense, a culmination of the cycle of misinformation\/disinformation that flooded social media throughout the year, mainly due to the fact that assembly elections were scheduled in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana. The general election of 2019 is barely a few months away, and this flurry of fake news is only expected to intensify in the days, weeks and months ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Assembly elections to five states were held in the month of December and expectedly, politics became the major theme of misinformation\/disinformation throughout the month. Interestingly, the flurry of misinformation was not restricted to the run-up to the elections but continued well after polling had ended and new governments had been formed in the states. MISINFORMATION [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":25558,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"an_content_type":[],"coauthors":[132],"class_list":["post-25081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","fact_checks_claim_type-economics"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>December round-up: Link between elections and rise in misinformation evident yet again - Alt News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"December round-up: Link between elections and rise in misinformation evident yet again - Alt News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Assembly elections to five states were held in the month of December and expectedly, politics became the major theme of misinformation\/disinformation throughout the month. Interestingly, the flurry of misinformation was not restricted to the run-up to the elections but continued well after polling had ended and new governments had been formed in the states. 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