Old photo falsely shared as PM Modi made ‘Chief President’ in UK among 53 world leaders

A photo of people welcoming PM Narendra Modi with applause is viral. The Hindi text below reads, “Modi was the ‘Chief President’ among the heads of 53 countries at a meeting in the United Kingdom yesterday, the same nation that enslaved us for 200 years. This will surely make every Indian’s chest swell up with pride.”

The graphic is widespread on Facebook.

We also received numerous requests to fact-check the image on the Alt News official mobile app and WhatsApp helpline number (+91 76000 11160).

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We noticed that this photo was shared on Twitter with the same claim back in 2018.

200 साल तक हमे गुलाम बनाने वाले ब्रिटेन मे, 53देशों के अध्यक्षो के बीच “ मोदी महाध्यक्ष”
कसम से अगर आप सचे भारतीय है तो आपकी छाती भी 56इंच की हो गई होगी
जरा इस फोटो को गौर से देखिये, भारत के इतिहास में कितने ही प्रधानमंत्री आये और गये
लेकिन यह दृश्य देखने को नहीं मिला pic.twitter.com/W4WWLWx7bd

— राजस्थानी  (@_Rajasthani) December 2, 2018

Fact-check

Alt News had published a fact-check report on this image when it was morphed to show Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was also present at the event. The image was circulated with the claim that Khan was trying to hide during the arrival of Prime Minister Modi. The original photo is now viral.

According to a report by DNA dated January 23, 2018, PM Narendra Modi had participated in the International Business Council in Davos. In attendance were the top global CEOs who had arrived to participate in the annual World Economic Forum. The photo was taken at the same gathering.

Indian External Affairs Ministry also tweeted this photo on January 23, 2018.

The world applauds 1.3 bn people of India at the @wef in #Davos appreciating the remarkable transformation in improving the business climate. PM @narendramodi interacting with the top global CEOs at the International Business Council event. #IndiaMeansBusiness pic.twitter.com/AfvfarnKGS

— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) January 23, 2018

To sum it up, the claim accompanying this image is completely false. It was taken in Davos, Switzerland, and not the UK. In addition, we did not find any media reports to corroborate PM Modi was made the ‘Chief President’ among heads of 53 nations.