Fact Check: PM Modi Didn’t Say One Of 'Panj Pyare' Of Sikh Guru Gobind Singh Was His Uncle

A video circulating online claims that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said one of the ‘Panj Pyare’ of the tenth and last Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh, was his uncle.

Social media posts claim Modi said one of “Panj Pyare” of Guru Gobind Singh was his uncle. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

The Verdict [False]

Prime Minister Modi said one of Guru Gobind Singh's Panj Pyare was from Dwarka, Gujarat, his home state.

What is the claim?

A video circulating online claims that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said one of the ‘Panj Pyare’ of the tenth and last Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh, was his uncle. The Panj Pyare, also known as the five beloved ones, hold a significant place in Sikhism. The name was given to the five Sikh men — Bhai Dhaya Singh, Bhai Dharam Singh, Bhai Himmat Singh, Bhai Mohkam Singh, and Bhai Sahib Singh, by Guru Gobind Singh at Anandpur Sahib in 1699. These five members formed the Sikh community called the ‘Khalsa’.

The video circulating online shows Modi wearing an orange turban addressing a rally, and a Punjabi voiceover claims, “Modi said one of the Panj Pyare was his uncle.”

Several users shared the video making the same claim. One user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote, “Breaking News — Modi in Punjab . The fear of losing the coming Lok Sabha Elections.had taken a heavy toll on Narendra Modi’s ‘MENTAL HEALTH.’ Narendra Modi has claimed out of the ‘Panj Pyare’ of Guru Gobind Singh one  of them was his uncle (sic).” Archived versions of such posts can be found here and here.

 

Screenshots of the viral posts. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, we found that the claim is false. Modi said one of the ‘Panj Pyare’ of Guru Gobind Singh was from Dwarka, Gujarat, and that’s how he has a blood relation with the people of Punjab. Modi hails from Gujarat, a state in western India. 

What did we find?

We found that the clip was taken from Modi’s rally in Patiala, the North Indian state of Punjab, on May 23. The original speech was posted on Narendra Modi’s official YouTube channel (archived here) with the title, "PM Modi addresses a public meeting in Patiala, Punjab."

We can see the now-viral clip between the 17:53 to 18:12 timeframe of the original 30-minute-long video. In the original clip, Modi can be heard saying in Hindi, “Aap ye pradhan mantri ki baat chhod dijiye. Guru Gobindji ke jo pehle Panj Pyare the, usme mera ek ‘Dwarka ka’ Panj Pyare mein tha. (Translation: Forget about being the prime minister. One of the first Panj Pyare of Guru Gobind Singh Ji was from my Dwarka)." We slowed down Modi’s remark and could hear him enunciate the word ‘Dwarka,’ pronouncing it as ‘Dwaarika.'

At no point during his speech did he refer to the Panj Pyare as his uncle. 

Further, we checked that the fourth Panj Pyare, Bhai Mohkam Singh, hailed from Dwarka (present-day Gujarat). He arrived at Anandpur Sahib in 1685 and was named one of the Panj Pyare by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.

The verdict

Prime Minister Narendra Modi didn’t say one of Guru Gobind Singh's Panj Pyare was his uncle. He actually said one of the five was from Dwarka, Gujarat, and that’s how he has a blood relation with the people of Punjab. 

(This report first appeared on logicallyfacts.com, and has been republished on ABP Live as part of a special arrangement. ABP Live has edited the headline and feature image of the report while republishing)