A video of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge saying, “You had so much support; initially, you had 330-334 seats, now it’s going beyond 400” in Rajya Sabha in viral on social media. The remark visibly elicited laughter from several members, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was present in the house. The official X handle for the BJP and several other prominent BJP leaders tweeted the clip taking a jibe at the Opposition, claiming that Kharge had “admitted defeat”.
PM Modi be like, “I need new haters, the old ones have become my fans…” pic.twitter.com/dnpc5e0vI9
— BJP (@BJP4India) February 2, 2024
Union minister for women and child development Smriti Irani tweeted the video and amplified the same narrative in a sarcastic rhyme. (Archive)
विपक्ष ने कर लिया स्वीकार,
तीसरी बार में 400 पार! pic.twitter.com/AWvbZexcaK— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) February 2, 2024
Union minister for commerce & industry Piyush Goyal also tweeted the video and said, “Modi government, this time beyond 400: Congress President.” (Archive)
मोदी सरकार, अबकी बार 400 पार: कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष pic.twitter.com/4UnQSLD2ti
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) February 2, 2024
Several other influential accounts amplified the viral video, including Union minister for civil aviation & steel Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra and Union minister of state for law & justice Arjun Ram Meghwal.
Fact Check
We found that Mallikarjun Kharge, in his now viral remark, had referred to BJP’s slogan for Lok Sabha 2024 polls, “Teesri baar Modi Sarkar, ab ki baar 400 paar” and followed it with his prediction that the BJP won’t cross 100 seats in the upcoming general elections.
We located the viral clip in the full video of Kharge’s address on Sansad TV dated February 2. The viral bit starts at the 46:52 minute mark of the YouTube video.
The viral video is clipped and of Kharge’s comment has been taken out of context. In the full version, Kharge’s initial remarks were immediately met with cheers and laughter from the government’s side. Amid the banter, Union minister Piyush Goyal stood up and interjected, saying “Kharge ji spoke the truth and nothing but the truth,”. Vice president and Rajya Sabha chairperson Jagdeep Dhankar also remarked, ‘I think never a Leader of Opposition has been applauded..it’s a record”. Then, at the 48:39 minute mark, Kharge stated, “You won’t cross 100 this time, INDIA is strong. Sir, is INDIA weak?”
Several Congress members also retorted to the BJP leaders’ tweets. In response to Piyush Goyal’s tweet, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate requested him to share the full context of the clipped video.
Are you a minister in the govt of India or a petty ₹2 troll who shares edited videos at the behest of BJP’s fake news factory aka the IT Cell Mr Goyal?
Get a life! I challenge you to share the full video or at least the part that follows your 34 second clip @PiyushGoyal https://t.co/I90oGAMEgb pic.twitter.com/xcmFdtY4ej
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) February 2, 2024
To sum up, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had quoted the BJP’s Lok Sabha election slogan “Ab Ki Baar, 400 paar” during Rajya Sabha proceedings on February 2, which was clipped out of context by several influential BJP handles and shared falsely as him accepting defeat in the upcoming general elections.
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