A video of Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi speaking at a public rally has gone viral on social media. Those sharing the clip claim he described the Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri, Odisha, as a "drama." However, upon fact-checking, it turned out to be misleading.
What is going viral?
A video featuring Congress leader addressing a public rally was shared by a Facebook user, 'Mani Mohantay', on July 11, and wrote, "Rahul Gandhi, standing on the soil of Odisha, called the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath a "drama"! Congress has insulted Mahaprabhu for vote bank, Congress has hurt the sentiments of countless devotees and people of Odisha."
In the 0:30-second video going viral on social media, Rahul Gandhi says, "When Jagannath Yatra takes place in Odisha, just think, just think, a rath comes out, a rath of Jagannath Yatra comes out, lakhs of people watch it and follow it, and then a drama happens, a drama happens."
Investigation
As the video gained traction online, we decided to verify the accuracy of the claim. To do so, we searched for the original footage of Rahul Gandhi's speech using specific keywords on Google. This led us to the official YouTube channel of the Indian National Congress, where the full event was streamed live on July 11. The video was titled: "LIVE: Shri Mallikarjun Kharge and Shri Rahul Gandhi | Samvidhaan Bachao Samvaad | Bhubaneswar, Odisha."
Upon reviewing the complete video, we located the segment where Rahul Gandhi mentions the Rath Yatra. Around the 26:16-minute mark, he states: "When Jagannath Yatra takes place in Odisha, just think, a rath comes out, a rath of Jagannath Yatra comes out, lakhs of people watch it and follow it, and then a drama happens, a drama happens. The Rath is stopped for Adani ji and his family. You can understand everything about Odisha's government. This is not your government, this is not Odisha's government. This is the government of Adani and five to six other such industrialists."
He was criticising the Rath being stopped for Adani's family, not the festival or its followers.
What came out in the fact check?
A fact check by India TV found the viral claim to be false. The statement was misrepresented on social media to target Rahul Gandhi. In reality, his remark about "drama" was directed at the special treatment allegedly given to Adani, not the religious event. As this misinformation is being circulated widely, the public is advised to remain cautious and verify facts before believing or sharing such posts.
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