A post is being widely shared on social media claiming that one needs to be rich and famous to get equal respect from PM Modi. Photos of Modi greeting Nita Ambani and Tulsi Gowda are being compared with the heading ‘Difference is Clear’ alluding to the difference between the two. Tulsi Gowda is an Environmentalist from Karnataka who was among the 119 Padma award recipients for the year 2020. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: PM Modi’s pictures with Nita Ambani and Tulsi Gowda show the preferential treatment the rich get from Modi.
Fact: The photo of PM Modi greeting Nita Ambani was taken when Modi was being welcomed by Nita Ambani and Mukesh Ambani for the inauguration of HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in 2014. The photo of PM Modi with Tulsi Gowda was taken during the Padma Award ceremony held on 08 November 2021. Modi did greet Tulsi Gowda personally in the same award ceremony on 08 November 2021. The photograph of Modi greeting Tulsi Gowda personally is similar to the one where Modi was greeting Nita Ambani in 2014. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When reverse image search is done on the photo of PM Modi with Nita Ambani, the same photo was found in the photo gallery of Outlook India. The photo was taken when Narendra Modi was being welcomed by Nita Ambani and Mukesh Ambani on his arrival for the inauguration of HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai. This photo is from 25 October 2014, and it can also be seen in a video live-streamed from Modi’s official YouTube channel.
When reverse image search is done on the second Modi photo, the same photo was found in an Instagram post by PM Narendra Modi. The Instagram photo was posted on 09 November 2021 saying that the photo was part of the Padma Awards ceremony held on 08 November 2021. The photo shows Tulsi Gowda, an environmentalist from Karnataka, greeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries at the ceremony. The moment can also be seen in the YouTube video uploaded on the President of India’s official YouTube channel.
However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did greet Tulsi Gowda personally in the same award ceremony on 08 November 2021. A photograph of Modi greeting Tulsi Gowda personally can be seen here, and this photograph is like the one where PM Modi was greeting Nita Ambani in 2014.
To sum it up, unrelated photos of PM Modi with Nita Ambani and Tulsi Gowda are being compared with a misleading narrative.