Did Akhilesh Yadav say lawbreakers should vote for SP? Edited video shared

Recently, a video of Akhilesh Yadav has been making the rounds on social media. In the footage, Yadav can be heard saying, “Those who want to take the law into their own hands should vote for the Samajwadi Party. Those who want to mistreat the poor should vote for the Samajwadi Party.” After the purported statement, a graphic appears that reads, “Wahi Hawa Hain ~ Wahi SP Hai. Dangaiyon ka haath, apradhiyon ka saath.” This roughly translates to – “The SP is supported by rioters and criminals”. This video is being shared against the backdrop of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

Numerous other users posted this video on Facebook.

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The video also made its way to Twitter.

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Edited video

Alt News performed a keyword search on YouTube, which led us to a video report by ABP Ganga dated February 16. Scenes from the viral video appear in the broadcast after the 1:10 mark. However, unlike the video in circulation, Akhilesh Yadav is heard saying, “Those who want to take the law into their own hands should not vote for the Samajwadi Party. Those who want to mistreat the poor should not vote for the Samajwadi Party.” The footage was taken during a public meeting held by the SP at Auraiya. Yadav had called out the BJP in his speech while addressing the gathering.

The Samajwadi Party YouTube channel also uploaded a video of the entire public meeting at Auraiya. The portion which was clipped for the viral video appears at the 23:53 mark.

SP national spokesperson IP Singh also tweeted this video on February 17.

पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री श्री @yadavakhilesh जी ने कहाँ…
वो हमें वोट मत दें जिन्हें कानून व्यवस्था हाथ में लेनी है कानून को नहीं मानना है वो लोग समाजवादी पार्टी को वोट न दें।
जिन्हें गरीबों पर अन्याय करना है
वो समाजवादी पार्टी को वोट न दें। pic.twitter.com/aWEOD9uZ1d

— I.P. Singh (@IPSinghSp) February 17, 2022

To sum it up, a clip from a speech by Akhilesh Yadav was edited and circulated on social media with the false claim that he made a vote appeal to those who do not wish to obey the law and commit atrocities against the poor.