Did K C Venugopal state Congress would abolish reservations? No, viral newspaper clipping is fake

A newspaper clipping has gone viral on social media, which carries a report on Congress general secretary K C Venugopal’s ‘statement’ that Congress’s biggest target was to abolish reservations in India. The alleged statement has sparked a controversy, with several users accusing Congress of being anti-Dalit.

A social media user named Deepshikha Indra shared the purported newspaper cutting, calling the Congress party “anti-Dalit”. (Archived link)

Similarly, another user, Rahul Dahikar, shared the image and stated that KC Venugopal had issued an alarming statement about Congress’s goal to eliminate reservations in India. (Archived link)

Aakshay Bansode, affiliated with Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, also circulated the viral newspaper clipping, assuming it to be authentic.  (Archived link)

Fact Check

We performed a keyword search related to the alleged statement by KC Venugopal, but could not find any credible news report to support the claim. Given the political significance of any comment about ending reservations, the lack of a single reputable news source covering such a statement raises serious doubts about the legitimacy of the viral image.

The name of the newspaper in the viral clipping is identified as “Aapki Awaaz.” To verify the authenticity of this publication, a search was conducted on the website of the Office of the Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI), a government body responsible for overseeing the registration of newspapers. No record of a newspaper registered under the name “Aapki Awaaz” was found.

Additionally, an examination of K C Venugopal’s social media accounts over the past month revealed no such statement related to ending reservations. In response to inquiries, KC Venugopal’s office issued an official statement to Alt News categorically denying the claim. Venugopal stated, “This is completely false and fabricated. I have never made any such statement, and we will take legal action against the source of this misinformation and those who spread this fake news.”

To sum it up, contrary to the claims being circulated on social media, Congress leader K C Venugopal has not made any statement suggesting that the goal of the Congress party is to abolish reservations in India. The viral newspaper clipping is fake.