BJP members share clipped video to portray only ‘Azan’ recited at Congress Kisan Nyay rally

by Kinjal

On October 14, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra tweeted a 1:40-minute-long video containing two clips. The first features Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Singh Baghel and other Congress leaders. Islamic prayers can be heard playing in the background. In the second clip, a man tells a reporter, “The same Congress party which claims to be the well-wisher of Hindu Brahmins is now broadcasting the Azan during its rally. Will it really protect Brahmins? The party which is not protecting Hindus and instead playing Azan during its event?’ (Archive link)

He also posted the video on Facebook.

Amit Malviya shared the video with a provocatively worded message stating that Congress played Azan in “the holiest of Hindu cities” Kashi and termed alleged act “sacrilege”.

Several pro-BJP Twitter users have shared the video.

It is quite widespread on both Facebook and Twitter.

Clipped video

The YouTube channel of the Indian National Congress had uploaded this video from the Kisan Nyay Rally held in Varanasi on October 10. The video starts with the speaker stating that Hindu, Christian, Sikh and Muslim prayers will be performed before the address begins. The rally starts with Hindu prayers.

The speaker can be heard saying, “The Congress party has always believed all religions are equal, so first of all, I request our fellow Hindus to chant with us… Please arrange mics for them… After our Hindu brothers, we will have our Muslim brothers recite their prayers, then our Sikh brothers, and then we will welcome our Christian brothers. Let’s start from there.” There is an audio lag between 1:45 and 5:04 minutes when the Hindu prayers are recited.

The audio can again be heard from the 5:10 mark onwards when Muslim leaders are requested to recite their chants. At the 8:33 mark, Sikh religious leaders are asked to recite their prayers. Following this, Congress leaders Rajeshwar Patel and Raghvendra Chaubey bestow Priyanka Gandhi with gifts as per local tradition.

Priyanka Gandhi also began her address with a Sanskrit verse.

We traced the second clip, of a man’s bite to the reporter, from a YouTube channel named The Rajdharma. The channel had interacted with attendees of the Congress rally. The viral portion appears at the 1:20 mark.

BJP leaders Sambit Patra and Amit Malviya shared a clipped video of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi’s Kisan Nyay Rally at Varanasi on October 10. The part where Islamic prayers were chanted was cherry-picked to show the party “appeasing” to Muslims. However, the rally began with prayers by Hindu religious leaders, followed by Muslim and Sikh religious leaders.

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About the Author

Kinjal Parmar holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. However, her keen interest in journalism, drove her to pursue journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. At Alt News since 2019, she focuses on authentication of information which includes visual verification, media misreports, examining mis/disinformation across social media. She is the lead video producer at Alt News and manages social media accounts for the organization.