Fact Check: Rahul Gandhi Did Not Apologise For Pre-Poll Promises; Posts Shared With False Claim

Social media posts falsely claimed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi apologised for pre-election promises of Rs 8,500/month to poor families & and Rs 1 lakh remuneration for 1-year apprenticeship to youths

Screenshots of an X post shared with a false claim about Rahul Gandhi.

Fact Check: Several social media posts claiming that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has apologised for his party’s pre-poll promises of Rs 8,500 per month to the poor families, and Rs 1 lakh remuneration (Rs 8,500 per month) for one-year apprenticeship to youths, are being widely shared after the opposition coalition lost the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections. The promises were made during the runup to the polls. The PTI Fact Check Desk has found that neither Rahul Gandhi nor his party tendered any apology. The social media posts were shared with a fake claim.

During the runup to the Lok Sabha polls, Gandhi announced the Mahalakshmi scheme to provide female heads of Below Poverty Line (BPL) families with Rs 8,500 directly to their account, if voted to power. Gandhi had also announced that every young diploma and degree holder in the country will have the right to apprenticeships in the private and government sectors, for which they will get a stipend of Rs 1 lakh (Rs 8,500 per month). 

Claim

An X user shared on June 11 a post claiming that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi apologised for his party’s poll promises of Rs 8,500 per month to poor families and RS 1 lakh salary to youths.

The caption of the post read, “Rahul Gandhi has apologised for his poll promises of INR 8,500 per month and 1,00,000 salary per month for youths.Using these lies; he managed to get 99 seats in General Elections 2024.It's a clear case of Electoral Fraud and False promises to misguide voters.”

Here is the link and archive link to the post and below is a screenshot of the same:

Investigation

The Desk scanned social media platforms and found several other users shared the same claim. 

Three such posts can be viewed here, here and here and their archive versions can be seen here, here, and here, respectively.

The post was widely shared on X as well. Three such posts can be found here, here and here and their archive links can be found here, here and here, respectively.

The Desk conducted a customised keyword search on Google, but could not find any such report backing the viral claim.

We also scanned the official social media handles (Twitter and Facebook) of Rahul Gandhi and Congress, but could not find any such post as claimed in the viral posts.

Here is the link to Gandhi’s X profile, and below is a screenshot of the same:

We also scanned the profile activity on Social Blade, a social media analytics website, and found that no recent post was deleted. Below is a screenshot of the same:

We also scanned the activity of Congress’ official X handle on Social Blade, which confirmed that no post was deleted recently. 

The Desk also found that the claims made on social media that Gandhi had promised Rs 1 lakh per month to youths was false. 

The party’s manifesto read: “Congress guarantees a new Right to Apprenticeship Act to provide a one year apprenticeship with a private or a public sector company to every diploma holder or college graduate below the age of 25. Apprentices will get ₹ 1 lakh a year. The apprenticeship will impart skills, enhance employability and provide full-time job opportunities for millions of youth.”

Here is the link to the party’s manifesto page, and below is a screenshot of the same:

Subsequently, the Desk concluded that neither Congress nor Rahul Gandhi apologised for the promises made during the runup to the Lok Sabha polls.

CLAIM
Rahul Gandhi apologised for his poll promises of Rs 8,500 per month and 1,00,000 salary per month for youths.

FACT
Rahul Gandhi did not apologise for the promises. A fake post was shared on social media with false claims.

CONCLUSION
Several social media users shared posts claiming that Rahul Gandhi apologised for his poll promises of “Rs 8,500 per month and 1,00,000 salary per month for youths”. In its investigation, the Desk found that neither Gandhi nor his party tendered any such apology. Also, the claim of Rs 1 lakh per month to youths was false. The party promised in its manifesto that diploma holder or college graduate youths will get the opportunity of apprenticeship for a year, for which they will get stipend of Rs 1 lakh (Rs 8,500 per month). The social media posts were shared with false claims.

This story was originally published by PTI Fact Check as part of the Shakti Collective. Except for the headline, excerpt, and the opening introduction para, this story has not been edited by ABPLIVE staff.