Newly elected members of the Parliament took oath between June 24 and June 26 in the newly built Parliament House in Delhi. A 56-second clip of the session, in which the National Anthem is played before the MPs take their turn to take oaths, has gone viral on social media. It is claimed that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi reached the Parliament late after the National Anthem was over.
BJP Andhra Pradesh vice-president Vishnu Vardhan Reddy (@SVishnuReddy) tweeted the above-mentioned clip on June 24 with the following caption: “So, Shehzada @RahulGandhi thinks he is bigger than the national anthem of our country. He arrived late and entered the parliament just as the national anthem ended.” The tweet has received over 2.5 Lakh views and has been retweeted over 1,000 times. (Archive)
Alt News has fact-checked misinformation spread and amplified by Vishnu Vardhan Reddy several times before.
So, Shehzada @RahulGandhi thinks he is bigger than the national anthem of our country.
He arrived late and entered the parliament just as the national anthem ended. pic.twitter.com/lpjfzvNbA7
— Vishnu Vardhan Reddy (@SVishnuReddy) June 24, 2024
Several other users on X shared the same clip claiming that Rahul Gandhi reached the Parliament only after the National Anthem was over.
Fact Check
We found the entire video of the beginning of the 18th Parliament session on Sansad TV’s YouTube channel. The National Anthem begins at the 3.07 mark. At the 3.18 mark, INDIA bloc MPs are visible in the frame, and in the back left corner, behind the Sansad TV logo, a man with a similar build to Rahul Gandhi, wearing a white T-shirt and black trousers, can be seen standing. At the 4.13 mark, Rahul Gandhi enters the frame from the right side, the same direction as the position of the man in the last mentioned frame, walking towards the front of the Parliament in a white T-shirt and black trousers, the attire in which he is most often seen.
Below is a comparison of the two frames:
If we see these two frames side by side with a diagram of the Central Hall of the Parliament, it will become clear that Rahul Gandhi was standing at the far left corner from the Speaker’s chair while the National Anthem was being played and then he went forward to take his seat.
If one looks closely, one will find Congress MP from Assam Gaurav Gogoi in both the frames, which proves beyond any doubt that the two frames show the same spot.
We came across a tweet by Congress Youth leader Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) who also pointed out that the man in the back of the Parliament during the National Anthem was Rahul Gandhi.
Stop spreading lies!
Rahul ji was present during the National Anthem for the entire duration.
He can be seen standing in the top left corner in the initial seconds of this video and at the end. https://t.co/XejsVuddgZ pic.twitter.com/KLv3iAXWXl
— Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) June 24, 2024
Further, we looked for any news reports on Rahul Gandhi’s late arrival to the first session of the new Parliament but couldn’t find any.
Therefore, from the above findings, it can be concluded that Rahul Gandhi was present in the Parliament during the National Anthem.
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