A photo through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann were sitting in front of liquor shops. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann sitting in front of liquor shops.
Fact: The photo of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann on a farm field has been morphed to include the image of liquor shops in the background. The original image was taken when they went to meet with some farmers in Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s constituency, Chamkaur Sahib. Bhagwant Mann was recently named the Aam Aadmi Party’s Chief Ministerial candidate for the upcoming state assembly elections in Punjab. In the past, Bhagwant Mann was accused of having a drinking problem which he denies. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, a similar image was found in a video uploaded in the official YouTube channel of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The video is from 14 January 2021 when Arvind Kejriwal, along with Bhagwant Mann went to meet farmers in the fields of Punjab. AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and AAP’s Punjab unit chief Bhagwant Mann met some farmers in Punjab Chief Minister’s constituency, Chamkaur Sahib. However, the images seen have a different background compared to the photo.
When the photo is compared with the images, it can be clearly seen that the background in the photo has been morphed to add the image of liquor stores. The image of the liquor shops is being used at least since 2020. It is found in the articles published in 2020 about liquor stores, here and here.
Bhagwant Mann was recently named the Aam Aadmi Party’s Chief Minister face for the upcoming state assembly elections in Punjab. Bhagwant Mann is accused of having a drinking problem which he denies.
To sum it up, the photo of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann sitting on a farm had been morphed to show that they were in front of liquor shops.
