BJP Delhi spokesperson Neetu Dabas tweeted a photograph of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel posing for the cameras while receiving the second dose of the COVID vaccine at Pt Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Medical College in Raipur. The image shows that the needle cap on the syringe hasn’t been taken off. Dabas suggested that the CM did not take the vaccine.
छत्तीसगढ़ की कांग्रेस सरकार ने नई तकनीक इजात की है जिसमें सिरिंज से “निडिल केप” निकाले बिना सीधे मुख्यमंत्री को वैक्सीन लगाई जा सकती है!!
यह अद्भुत आईडिया जरूर राहुल गांधी ने मुख्यमंत्री को दिया होगा। pic.twitter.com/9qiqgN3kON
— Neetu Dabas,(नीतू डबास)🇮🇳 (@INeetuDabas) May 27, 2021
BJP Delhi spokesperson Virender Babbar has also shared the photograph and alluded the same.
छत्तीसगढ़ की कांग्रेस सरकार ने नई तकनीक इजात की है जिसमें सिरिंज से “निडिल केप” निकाले बिना सीधे मुख्यमंत्री को वैक्सीन लगाई जा सकती है!!
यह अद्भुत आईडिया जरूर राहुल गांधी ने मुख्यमंत्री को दिया होगा।
Posted by Virender Babbar on Thursday, 27 May 2021
So did former BJP MLA from Chhattisgarh Devji Patel.
दाऊ @bhupeshbaghel जी!
आप ला बताना चाहत रेहेंव,आपके ध्यान फोटू खिंचाए में रिहिस तेन टाइम ये नर्स बहिनी हा आप ला “ठगेश वैक्सीन” लगा दिस❗
निडिल मा प्लास्टिक के कैप लगा के!काली फेर लगवा लुहु अउ प्रयास करहु आज असन फेर “वैक्सीन बर्बाद” झन हो❗@INCChhattisgarh@PurandeswariBJP https://t.co/tL5YM8JAnO pic.twitter.com/jkuBddhWON
— देवजी भाई पटेल (@DevjiBhaiPatel_) May 27, 2021
The claim has been further amplified by individual users on Twitter and Facebook.
Fact-check
Alt News spoke with Chhattisgarh CM Advisor Ruchir Garg who shared a video with us that shows CM Baghel receiving the jab. This video was also tweeted by Congress Chhattisgarh leader Idris Gandhi.
मुख्यमंत्री @bhupeshbaghel ji कोरोना से बचाव के लिए टीका का दूसरा डोज लगवाते हुए
दरअसल छत्तीसगढ़ में आरोप-प्रत्यारोप की राजनीति कुछ इस तरह से कुलाँचे मार रहीं हैं, कि बिना सत्यता को जाने अनर्गल बयानबाज़ी करने से बाज़ नही आ रहे हैं।
1/2 pic.twitter.com/xmqmGGQQ7v— Idris Gandhi (@IdrisGandhi) May 28, 2021
We also contacted Chhattisgarh Collector Bharti Dasan who said that he was present at the vaccination centre with the Chief Medical Health Officer (CMHO) and SSP when CM Baghel received the jab.
The photograph where the nurse is holding a syringe with the needle cap intact was a photo-op for the media. CM Baghel had tweeted a picture of him receiving the second dose. He appealed to people to get the jab.
मेरे प्यारे छत्तीसगढ़वासियों,
जय जोहार! जय सियाराम!! pic.twitter.com/iI2xTkMpYE— Bhupesh Baghel (@bhupeshbaghel) May 28, 2021
BJP members targetted Congress by falsely claiming that Chhattisgarh CM ‘faked’ taking the second dose of the vaccine. Earlier in January, Congress had targetted BJP by claiming that Tumkur medical officials ‘pretended’ to take the jab. The officials had also refuted the claim and clarified they posed for the camera after getting vaccinated.
[Update: Devji Patel is a former MLA, not MP. The same has been rectified in the report.]
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