A widely circulated video shows LoP in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi dining at a restaurant, with claims connecting it to the recent floods in Kerala. The posts suggest that while Kerala is suffering from floods, Rahul Gandhi is enjoying a meal at a restaurant (here & here). In this article, we fact-check the claims associated with this video.
Claim: A video shows Rahul Gandhi dining at a restaurant while Kerala is suffering from floods/landslides.
Fact: The viral video predates the Kerala landslides, as it surfaced in mid-July 2024, while the landslides were first reported at the end of July 2024. Furthermore, earlier this week, Rahul Gandhi visited the landslide-affected areas in Kerala and met with the affected people. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Last week, massive landslides struck the state of Kerala, particularly affecting the Wayanad district, which experienced a series of devastating landslides. Reports indicate that the death toll has nearly reached 300, with at least 200 people missing. The leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi earlier represented the Wayanad parliamentary constituency. In this context, the video is being shared to allege that Rahul Gandhi does not care about the Kerala floods.
However, the video is not recent and is unrelated to the Kerala landslides. A Google search using relevant keywords led to multiple news reports featuring the same video (here & here). According to these reports, the undated video surfaced in mid-July 2024, showing Rahul Gandhi dining at a pizzeria in Delhi.
The video circulated on social media when users questioned if Rahul Gandhi had attended the Ambani wedding festivities. These reports confirm that the footage predates the recent Kerala landslides, first reported at the end of July 2024.
Furthermore, earlier this month, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, along with party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, visited the landslide site at Chooralmala in Kerala’s Wayanad. The Congress leaders assessed the situation in the area and met with the affected people.
To sum up, an old video of Rahul Gandhi dining at a restaurant is being falsely linked to the recent Kerala landslides.
