A set of images (here & here) is widely circulating on social media platforms with the claim that Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan painted the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) party symbol, the conch, and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has painted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party symbol, the lotus. Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Dharmendra Pradhan painted the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) party symbol, the conch, and Naveen Patnaik painted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party symbol, the lotus.
Fact: These viral images depicting Dharmendra Pradhan painting a conch and Naveen Patnaik painting a lotus are morphed images. The original image was shared by Dharmendra Pradhan on his Twitter account on 28 January 2024, where he was painting a ‘lotus’ as part of a wall painting drive launched by BJP on 15 January 2024. The other original image of Naveen Patnaik was reported by Sambad English, where he was painting water waves on a wall in a street art activity organized by the Bakul Foundation on the occasion of World Water Day in 2013. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
To check the veracity of viral claims, we conducted a Google reverse image search of the image depicting Dharmendra Pradhan painting a conch on the internet, which led us to a few pictures (here & here) showing Dharmendra Pradhan painting ‘lotus’ on walls at various locations in Odisha. On 15 January 2024, the BJP launched a wall-painting drive in Kandhal village, Deogarh, Odisha on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti to boost people’s confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership ahead of the general elections, Pradhan told the media persons. He shared a few images on his X(Twitter) wall on 28 January 2024, that read: “Dharmendra Pradhan Participated in BJP’s ‘Kanth Likhan’ program in North Bhubaneswar Constituency Booth No. 59 Housing Board Colony. Padma, the symbol of our party BJP and Modi, has become a symbol of hope, progress, and welfare of all sections.”
Subsequently, we also performed a reverse image search of the image depicting Naveen Patnaik painting a lotus on the internet. This search led us to the original image reported by Sambad English. According to this report, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was observed doodling on a wall as part of a street art activity organized by the Bakul Foundation on the occasion of World Water Day in 2013.
Upon comparing the viral images with the original ones, it is evident that the original pictures have been edited and morphed to create these viral images. Below is a comparison of the viral images with the original images.
To sum it up, these viral images depicting Dharmendra Pradhan painting a conch and Naveen Patnaik painting a lotus are morphed images.
