A post is being shared on social media claiming that President Abdul Kalam travelled in a general coach, whereas President Ram Nath Kovind is travelling in a First-Class AC coach. Photos of APJ Abdul Kalam and Ram Nath Kovind exiting trains is being compared with the heading ‘The Difference is Clear’ alluding to the difference between the two. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Abdul Kalam and Ram Nath Kovind’s train travel pictures show the preferential treatment the latter received.
Fact: This photo of Abdul Kalam was taken in 2010 when he was no more the President of India. Abdul Kalam was President from 2002 to 2007 only. The photo of President Ram Nath Kovind was taken on 28 June 2021 when he arrived in Lucknow on a special Presidential train. APJ Abdul Kalam did travel in the special Presidential train when he was the President of India. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When reverse image search is done on the Abdul Kalam photo, the same photo was found in a photo collage of The New Indian Express. The photo caption is read as ‘Former President Abdul Kalam arrives at Rourkela by train in 2010’. Describing this incident, the Times of India reported “In January 2010, when bad weather threatened to stall his visit to the National Institute of Technology at Rourkela in Odisha, Dr ARJ Abdul Kalam, ignoring security risks, decide to take a train to Rourkela. He did not want to keep students waiting”. Srijan Pal Singh, Kalam’s long-time associate, has also mentioned this photo in his Facebook post. Therefore, this photo of Abdul Kalam is taken in 2010, and not when he was President of India, which was from 2002 to 2007.
When reverse image search is done on President Ram Nath Kovind photo, a Hindustan Times news article with the same photo was found. President Ram Nath Kovind had to lay the foundation stone of Dr Ambedkar Cultural Centre the next day and he arrived in Lucknow the previous day on 28 June 2021. The President’s official Twitter handle tweeted the pictures of the train arrival in Lucknow. Later, the President did lay the foundation stone for Bharat Ratna Dr. Ambedkar Cultural Centre in Lucknow. Articles about the event can be seen here and here.
Prior to laying of the stone, President embarked on a journey to visit his native village Paraunkh on a special Presidential train on 25 June 2021. ‘It would be after a gap of 15 years that an incumbent President will make a train journey. The last time a President travelled by train was in 2006 when Dr APJ Abdul Kalam boarded a special train from Delhi to Dehradun to attend a passing out parade of cadets at the Indian Military Academy (IMA),’ according to a press release of the Government.
Even APJ Abdul Kalam travelled in such special Presidential trains several times when he was the President of India. He travelled from Harnot to Patna in 2003. In 2004, Abdul Kalam travelled in this Special Train from Chandigarh to Delhi. In 2006, he travelled from Delhi to Dehradun on this train.
Not only President Ram Nath Kovind and Abdul Kalam, but several other Presidents have also used this Presidential Train service when they were holding the office of the President. The official Twitter account of Rashtrapati Bhavan Archives tweeted the pictures, ‘Revisiting the train journeys of the former Presidents of India!’. Former President APJ Abdul Kalam’s photo on 05 January 2004 where he was de-boarding the special train can also be seen in the tweets.
To sum it up, unrelated photos of Abdul Kalam and Ram Nath Kovind are being compared with a false narrative.
