A selfie of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi showing their inked fingers is widely shared alleging that Rahul Gandhi has a portrait of Jesus in his room but not of a Hindu god (here & here). This article fact-checks the claim made in these posts.
Claim: A selfie of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi with a portrait of Jesus in the background.
Fact: The portrait behind the Gandhis is a painting titled ‘Madonna Oriflamma,’ created by Nicholas Roerich in 1932 as a symbol of human unity. Roerich referred to the geometric design (three circles within a larger circle) as the “Banner of Peace.” The painting does not have any religious significance. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The viral selfie of Rahul Gandhi was taken during the sixth phase of polling in the ongoing Lok Sabha election. After casting his vote in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi shared a selfie with his mother on X. However, the portrait in the background of this selfie is not of Jesus.
A reverse image search of the portrait’s screenshot led to multiple reports and blogs featuring the same image. According to these sources, the image is a painting titled ‘Madonna Oriflamma’ by Russian painter Nicholas Roerich. The painting depicts a person holding a banner with three red dots, enclosed within a red circle (here & here).
Nicholas Roerich created the painting in 1932 as a symbol of human unity, referring to the geometric art (three circles within a larger circle) as the “Banner of Peace.” The official page of the Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York has also shared this artwork. Therefore, it is clear that the portrait is not of Jesus and does not carry any religious significance.
To sum up, the portrait behind the Gandhis in this selfie is not of Jesus; it’s an artwork symbolizing human unity.
