A video (here, here and here) going viral on social media shows Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in an interview. In the clip, the interviewer asks him what he thinks about Rahul Gandhi. Gadkari responds with something like, “Those I thought were small people, once I met them up close, I realized they are great people.” The caption claims that Gadkari is specifically praising Rahul Gandhi. Let’s find out the truth behind this claim.
Claim: The viral post says Nitin Gadkari praised Rahul Gandhi with his reply, “Those I thought were small seemed big.”
Fact: The viral video is clipped. In the full video, uploaded on BBC News Hindi’s YouTube channel on 10 October 2024, when the interviewer asks “How do you see Rahul Gandhi?” Gadkari responds, “I see everyone in a good way,” and “I have an opinion about everyone.” He then discusses individuals who inspired him and reflects on how meeting people shaped his perspective. His concluding remark—”People I thought were very big from a distance seemed small up close, and those I thought were small seemed big“—is a general observation, not a specific praise for Rahul Gandhi. The clip omits key context. Hence, this is MISLEADING.
To verify the claim, we did a keyword search on Google and found the original video uploaded on the YouTube channel of BBC News Hindi. The full video of the viral clip was available there, uploaded on 10 October 2024. The title of the video was: “What did Nitin Gadkari say on the post of Prime Minister, RSS, expensive toll tax?”
At the 26-minute mark of the video, the anchor asks Gadkari, “How do you see Rahul Gandhi?” to which he responds, “I see everyone in a good way.” When pressed further for his opinion about Rahul Gandhi, Gadkari replies, “I have an opinion about everyone.” He then elaborates by mentioning individuals who inspired him, such as AB Bardhan from the Communist Party, Sharat Joshi from the farmers’ organization, and Bhaurao Deoras, Bala Saheb Deoras’s brother. Gadkari reflects on how these figures shaped his perspective and mentions writing an unpublished book in English.
Gadkari concludes with a general observation: “After coming to Delhi, I met many people—cricketers, film actors, Bill Gates, and others. People I thought were very big from a distance seemed small up close, and those I thought were small seemed big.” This final statement is not specifically about Rahul Gandhi but Gadkari’s general experiences with people he has encountered. The viral video misleadingly splices the interviewer’s question about Rahul Gandhi with Gadkari’s broader concluding remark, creating the false impression that he specifically praised Rahul Gandhi. However, the full context indicates otherwise.
To sum up, a clipped video of Nitin Gadkari is shared as his specific praise for Rahul Gandhi.
