A video is being shared on social media claiming that Union Minister Nitin Gadkari recently raised his voice against PM Modi’s actions to suppress the ongoing farmers’ protests. In the wake of Narendra Modi’s ‘Andolan Jeevi’ comment on protestors, this post claims that Nitin Gadkari raised his voice for every citizen’s right to do peaceful protests in the country. Let’s verify the claims made in the post.
Claim: Video of Nitin Gadkari criticizing PM Modi amid the ongoing farmers’ protests.
Fact: This video shows the 2011 press meet of Nitin Gadkari, criticizing the then Congress government and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Nitin Gadkari raised his voice against the Congress government’s corruption and its actions to suppress the Anna Hazare’s protests. This video has nothing to do with the ongoing farmers’ protests. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On observing this video from 0.08 to 0.38 seconds, we could see Nitin Gadkari criticizing the Congress government for suppressing the freedom to protest in the country. Also, Nitin Gadkari made a statement on Congress Government and the then Prime Minister’s actions to suppress Anna Hazare’s protest against corruption. When we searched for this video using these keywords, we found the same video on the BJP’s official YouTube channel. BJP published this video on 16 August 2011. The video is reported as the visuals from the BJP press meet, held on 15 August 2011.
‘The Economic Times’ on 15 August 2011, reported that BJP leader Nitin Gadkari criticized the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s stand on Anna Hazare’s fast against corruption. In the press meet, Nitin Gadkari slammed the UPA government over Anna Hazare’s arrest in Delhi ahead of his fast over a strong Lokpal bill. Reporting the same, India Today published an article on Nitin Gadkari’s press meet.
To sum it up, a 2011 video of Nitin Gadkari criticizing the then Congress Government is being shared as a recent one falsely linking it to the ongoing farmers’ protests.
