A man points at magnificent European architecture and claims that Congress president Rahul Gandhi owns the lavish property. “He has looted India and bought these buildings in Italy,” the man says in Gujarati. This is the latest video doing rounds on social media. The over one-minute clip shows a man cautioning people against Rahul Gandhi who has bought three extravagant buildings in Italy with India’s money and gets paid in hefty rent.
क्या यह सच हैं ?
में इटली से एक हिंदुस्तानी बोल रहा हूं यह राहुल गांधी की बिल्डिंग है जो करोड़ों की नहीं बल्कि अरबों रुपए की है भारत को लुट कर इटली में इतनी संपत्ति बना रखी है पप्पू गांधी ने और मां सोनिया गांधी ने
मित्रों आप इस बिल्डिंग को देखेंगे तो आपकी आंखें चक्कर खा जाएगी pic.twitter.com/zKuczSyJNv— नवनीत शर्मा (@NavneetSagarsIT) January 6, 2021
The clip is massively widespread on Facebook.
Viral since 2019
From a Facebook page Mera Bharat Mahan, the video received over 1.5 lakh views and nearly 13,000 shares. It was posted on April 27, 2019. “इटली से आयी पप्पु की सच्चाई देखो ओर दूसरो को भी दिखाओ (Truth about Pappu from Italy. Watch and make others watch too),” reads the accompanying caption. In the video, the man can be heard saying in Gujarati, “Rajiv Gandhi’s son, Pappu, that’s his building. He purchased this building after looting the entire country. I am in Italy and this is Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi’s building. Pappu makes money while sitting in India through these three buildings. His business is giving these properties for rent. He has looted India. Finish Pappu and throw him out of India. Jai Sri Krishna. I am in Italy.”
इटली से आयी पप्पु की सच्चाई देखो ओर दूसरो को भी दिखाओ …….
Posted by Mera Bharat Mahan on Saturday, 27 April 2019
The video was viral in both Hindi (keywords – बिल्डिंग राहुल गांधी) and English (keywords – Pappu Italy buildings).
It is also circulating on Twitter.
The three buildings shown in video are owned by pappu in Italy. That’s how they had been looting and making their own empire since ages instead of thinking about our country. pic.twitter.com/m22QiHbUrh
— Chowkidar Resham 🇮🇳 (@MyPoint0fView_) April 27, 2019
RBI director S Gurumurthy was among those who retweeted the video.
A historical landmark in Italy, not Gandhi’s private property
The buildings showcased in the video are a part of a city square – Piazza Castello – in Turin, Italy. The square-shaped landmark houses museums, theatres and palaces, including the Royal Palace of Turin built in the 16th century. Several of the architectural complexes are world heritage sites protected by the UNESCO.
The collage below shows the Google street view of the Royal Palace in Piazza Castello, juxtaposed with a screengrab of the palace as seen in the viral video.
The photomontage below shows the approximate location where the viral clip was shot.
There are also abundant videos on YouTube of the Piazza Castello, where the same architectural complexes are visible.
A ludicrous claim made its way into social media and was given life by many who believed it to be true. The absurdity of the allegation alone raises doubts. Had Rahul Gandhi owned such extravagant property in Italy, the news would’ve made headlines in India. The lack of media reports on his “enormous wealth” is the first clue of its falseness.
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