Clipped video of Narendra Modi’s speech shared with false claims of his remarks on Droupadi Murmu's skin colour - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 21, 2024
A video of Prime Minister Modi’s speech is being widely shared alleging that he made remarks about President Droupadi Murmu’s skin colour. In the video, he is heard saying in Hindi something that loosely translates to: “those with black skin are from Africa. Droupadi Murmu is also African because she has dark skin; therefore, she should be defeated.” This article aims to fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video showing Narendra Modi commenting on President Droupadi Murmu’s skin colour.
Fact: The viral video shows an incomplete version of Modi’s speech. In the full video, it’s clear that he made these statements in reference to Sam Pitroda’s recent remarks comparing dark skin to Africans. Modi alleged that Congress opposed Droupadi Murmu’s candidature because of her skin color. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The viral video shows only a part of Modi’s speech. From the full video, it is clear that he made these remarks in reference to former Congress leader Sam Pitroda’s comments comparing people in South India to Africans. A YouTube search with relevant keywords led us to the complete footage of Modi’s speech from which the viral excerpt was taken.
He delivered this speech on 8 May 2024, during an election campaign in Warangal, Telangana. At the 42:50 timestamp in the video of Modi’s Hindi speech, he refers to Congress’s efforts to defeat Droupadi Murmu in the Presidential election and recalls Sam Pitroda’s recent statements comparing people with black skin to Africans.
He then stated that Congress attempted to defeat Murmu based on her skin colour. In this context, Modi used the phrase “those with black skin are from Africa. Droupadi Murmu is also African because she has dark skin; therefore, she should be defeated,” linking Sam Pitroda’s comments to the Presidential election.
News articles that reported Modi’s speech can be viewed here and here. All these clearly show that the portion where Modi referred to Sam Pitroda’s comments was edited out, and only the segment where he talks about Droupadi Murmu’s skin colour is being shared.
Earlier, Congress leader Sam Pitroda sparked controversy with his remarks on diversity, comparing Indians from the South and East to Africans and Chinese respectively during an interview. However, the Congress party distanced itself from Pitroda’s comments, calling them ‘unfortunate and unacceptable.’
To sum up, a clipped video of Modi’s speech is shared with false claims about remarks on Droupadi Murmu’s skin colour.