The results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were announced on 04 June 2024. The BJP-led NDA coalition secured 293 seats out of the total 543 parliamentary seats. However, the BJP suffered a significant setback, as it fell short of a majority on its own, obtaining only 240 seats, making it dependent on alliance partners to secure the 272 seats required to form the government. In this context, a video purportedly showing a Muslim man criticizing Hindu people for not voting for PM Modi, despite the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, is circulating widely across various social media platforms (here, here, & here). In this article, we aim to fact-check the claims made in the post.
Claim: Video of a Muslim man criticizing Hindu people for not voting for PM Modi, despite the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
Fact: The man featured in this viral video is not a Muslim. His name is Dhirendra Raghav, and he is an artist from Agra, Uttar Pradesh, who regularly uploads videos in support of the BJP on his social media accounts. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
To verify the authenticity of the viral video, we conducted a Google reverse image search using keyframes from the footage. This search led us to an identical video uploaded by a verified Instagram page named ‘dhirendra_raghav_79′ on 04 June 2024, with the description: ‘Mosque will be built instead of temple.. #dhokha #hindutemple #bjp’.
According to his bio, he is an artist. His name (Dhirendra Raghav) also suggests that he is not a Muslim. Upon reviewing his videos on his Instagram page, we discovered that he created many similar videos in favour of the BJP (here, here, here, & here). Other videos of Dhirendra Raghav, in which he dresses himself like a Muslim, can be seen here, here & here.
Upon further search, we also discovered Dhirendra Raghav’s Facebook profile, where he describes himself as an artist from Agra, Uttar Pradesh. We have found that he shared the same viral video on his Facebook page as well. All this information makes it evident that the man featured in the video is not a Muslim. He is an artist who regularly uploads videos in support of the BJP on his social media accounts.
To sum up, a video of a content creator from Uttar Pradesh is being shared claiming that a Muslim man is criticizing Hindu people for not voting for PM Modi.
