Fact Check: Rahul Gandhi Didn't Say Congress Will 'Redistribute Wealth' Among Minorities
The claim comes days after PM Modi’s election speech in Rajasthan, where he said that if Congress comes to power, it could distribute the nation’s wealth among “infiltrators”.
The Verdict [Misleading]
The video has been edited to exclude the mention of Dalits, tribals, and economically weaker sections of society.
What is the claim?
A 42-second video of Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Rahul Gandhi is being widely shared online. In the viral clip, Gandhi can be heard saying, "We will do an X-ray of the country and things will become clear. Minorities will come to know what their share in this country is. After this, we will conduct a financial and an institutional survey to find out who holds the country’s wealth, what section of people hold it. And after this historic step, we will take revolutionary measures. Whatever your right is, we will work towards giving it to you. (translated from Hindi).”
The viral video was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by a user called Arun Pudur, who has often been called out for sharing misinformation. He wrote, "Sound the alarm bells! If they get their way, no one will be safe from their insidious agenda. It's time to stand up and resist this tyrannical overreach before it's too late!" An archive version of the post can be seen here.
The video has been shared by several others including Rishi Bagree and journalist Abhijit Majumder.
The claim comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election speech in the North Indian state of Rajasthan, where he said that if Congress comes to power, it could distribute the nation’s wealth among “infiltrators” and “those who have more children,” seemingly referring to the Muslim community.
However, a portion of Rahul Gandhi’s speech has been edited to claim the false claim.
How did we verify this?
A reverse image search led us to the original video livestreamed on Rahul Gandhi’s official YouTube channel (archived here) on April 6, 2024. Rahul Gandhi was addressing an election rally in Hyderabad, Telangana after launching the Congress manifesto called ‘Nyay Patra’ (Justice Letter) for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
At around 31:55-minute mark, we can see the part which is now viral. The original video includes a speaker translating Gandhi’s statements live from Hindi to Telugu.
Gandhi says, “We will conduct an X-ray of the country, things will become clear. Backward classes, Dalits, Adivasis, people of the weaker general class, and minorities will come to know what their their share in this country is. After this, we will do a financial and institutional survey. We will find out who all and what section of people hold (inaudible). And after this historic step, we will take revolutionary measures. What is your right, we will ensure we get it for you (translated from Hindi).”
To check what was said in the inaudible portion, we went through the transcript of Gandhi's speech on Congress' official website. It mentioned, "We will find out who and what section of people hold India’s wealth.”
Clearly, the words, “Backward classes, Dalits, Adivasis, people of the weaker general class” have been edited out and the video has been shared to claim that Rahul Gandhi only mentioned minorities in his speech.
What does the Congress manifesto say?
We went through the Congress manifesto uploaded on the party’s official website. We found no specific mention of “wealth redistribution” or wealth from taxpayers’ money being redirected to others.
Under the ‘Economy’ section, the manifesto states, “We will address the growing inequality of wealth and income through suitable changes in policies.”
The Social Justice section of the manifesto states that Congress will conduct a “nation-wide Socio-Economic and Caste Census to enumerate the castes and sub-castes and their socio-economic conditions. Based on the data, we will strengthen the agenda for affirmative action.”
While addressing the religious and linguistic minorities, the manifesto promises to provide them with a fair share of opportunities "in education, healthcare, public employment, public works contracts, skill development, sports and cultural activities without discrimination.” The manifesto also adds, “The economic empowerment of minorities is a necessary step for India to realize its full potential. We will ensure that banks will provide institutional credit to minorities without discrimination."
The verdict
A clipped video of Rahul Gandhi has been shared to claim that the Congress leader spoke about distributing the nation’s wealth among minorities. In the original video, he talks about Dalits, tribals, economically weaker sections of society, and minorities. Further, he says "Whatever your right is, we will work towards giving it to you." There is no clear mention of redistributing wealth among minorities.
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