Delhi BJP spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga tweeted a recent Congress advertisement of the minimum income guarantee scheme and raised doubts about a “third hand” visible in the photograph (archive). The ad showcased Rahul Gandhi embracing an elderly woman. At the extreme right of the image, an unidentified hand can be seen near the woman’s waist. “ये तीसरा हाथ किसका है Rahul Gandhi ji i told u yesterday na, Hire Good PR,” tweeted the BJP spokesperson.
ABP News journalist Vikas Bhaudauria also raised doubts about the “third hand”. BJP minister Smriti Irani replied to Bhaudauria tweet saying that Congress’s “sleight of hand” depicts the party’s corrupt mindset. “जब इशतहार में ही ‘ sleight of hand ‘ नज़र आए तो विचार करें CONgress की भ्रष्ट मानसिकता की जड़ें कितनी गहरी हैं (When advertisement itself has a “sleight of hand”, one can only imagine how deeply corrupt is Congress’s mindset.)” read her tweet (archive).
जब इशतहार में ही ‘ sleight of hand ‘ नज़र आए तो विचार करें CONgress की भ्रष्ट मानसिकता की जड़ें कितनी गहरी हैं ।
— Chowkidar Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) April 8, 2019
Co-incharge of BJP’s National Literature Department Vikas Preetam quote-tweeted Bhaudauria tweet.
What is the mystery of the “third hand”?
The photograph used by Congress for the advertisement of NYAY (Nyuntam Aay Yojana) is part of a larger image where several other people are visible in the background. Keeping the focus on Gandhi and the old woman, the background was blurred out in the picture used in the advertisement.
The photograph was tweeted by Congress in 2015.
Snapshots from Rahul Gandhi’s visit to flood affected areas of Tamil Nadu & Puducherry, yesterday (2/4) pic.twitter.com/kA4Qq320D9
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 9, 2015
Social media claims regarding the authenticity of the image are, thus, misleading. The photograph is from an actual interaction during Rahul Gandhi’s visit to flood-affected areas of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in 2015. The background has been blurred but the man’s hand was not cropped by Congress before publishing the picture as an ad for NYAY.
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