The Verdict: False
The full video shows Rahul Gandhi criticising Indian agencies like the ED and the CBI and talking about action against those “undermining democracy”.
What’s the claim?
A video of Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has been widely circulated on social media, with the claim that he “threatened Hindus” in India. The viral clip shows Gandhi saying that once the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is out of power, action would be taken against “them”.
The 23-second clip features the news channel CNBC Awaaz logo accompanied by a red header below with Hindi text that translates to, “Watch the action when BJP withdraws.” In the video, Gandhi is seen speaking at an event, where he says, “So they should also think, ones who are doing this, that one day the BJP government will change, and then action will be taken — such action that I guarantee this will never happen again. They, too, must think about this.”
An X user shared the video with a caption in Hindi, which translates to, “When BJP government will be removed. Such action will be taken against Hindus again. Which Hindus would not have even thought about | Congress is a terrorist organisation. open threat.” Archives of the posts can be found here, here, and here.
Similar narratives were also shared on Facebook, with archives available here, here, and here.
However, Gandhi did not “threaten Hindus” in his statement. The full video shows that he was criticising the BJP’s alleged misuse of institutions like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) and that action would be taken against those in these agencies “undermining democracy” when the government eventually changes.
What did we find?
A reverse image search showed that the same video was published on CNBC Awaaz’s X account (archived here) on March 15, 2024. The Hindi caption accompanying this video translated to: “Rahul Gandhi’s statement on electoral bonds #ElectoralBonds #RahulGandhi #BharatJodoNyayYatra #ViralVideo #Congress #BJP.” However, the caption did not mention Gandhi threatening Hindus.
A slightly extended version of the video was also shared on Gandhi’s X account (archived here) on March 29, 2024, with a Hindi caption that translated to, “When the government changes, action will definitely be taken against those who ‘ripped off democracy’! And such action will be taken that no one will dare to do all this again. This is my guarantee.”
The date “15th March 2024” is visible in the top right corner of the video. In this video, Gandhi can be heard saying, “If these institutions did their work, if CBI did its work, if ED did its work, then this would not happen.” The viral segment appears after this, indicating that Gandhi was referring to the institutions and those “undermining democracy” and not threatening Hindus.
What was Gandhi talking about?
We also found the full video (archived here) on Gandhi’s official YouTube channel. It was live-streamed on March 15, 2024, titled “Press Conference | Thane | Maharashtra | Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.”
The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra was a march led by Gandhi, which began on January 14, 2024, in Imphal, Manipur, and concluded on March 17, 2024, in Mumbai. According to a report by Press Trust of India, the Yatra entered Thane on March 15, 2024.
The complete video is 19 minutes and 55 seconds, with the viral segment appearing between the 18:34 and 18:59 timestamps. Throughout the press conference, Gandhi did not make any “threat to Hindus”.
We noted that at the 17:33 seconds mark, a journalist asked: “Among all the companies involved in electoral bonds, the names of those who funded you have also surfaced. Will those who fund you be targeted by the ED and CBI in the future?”
In response, Gandhi criticised the BJP’s alleged control over institutions like the CBI, ED, and Election Commission. At the 17:51 timestamp, he says, “It is possible. There is no such thing as CBI or ED — they are BJP’s tools, under BJP’s control. The institutions that we used to have in India, today those institutions do not belong to India. Be it the Election Commission, be it CBI or ED, they are now weapons of the BJP and RSS. These are no longer the institutions of India. That is why things are like this. If these institutions had performed their duties, if CBI had done its duty, if ED had done its duty, all this would not have happened.”
Immediately after this, the viral segment appears, in which the Congress leader talks about taking action after the BJP government falls. He then concludes by thanking the audience and ending the press conference.
We also found news reports from March 2024 about Gandhi’s stern warning to the probe agencies, referring to the same statement seen in the viral and extended clips. This statement was made following an income tax notice issued to Congress demanding a payment of Rs 1,823.08 crore, which the party claimed was part of a larger pattern of targeting Opposition parties.
The verdict
A clipped video is being shared with the false claim that Rahul Gandhi “threatened Hindus”. The video actually shows Gandhi speaking about the alleged misuse of ED and CBI and emphasising taking action against such institutions and those in them who engage in “undermining democracy”.
This report first appeared on logicallyfacts.com, and has been republished on ABP Live as part of a special arrangement. Apart from the headline, no changes have been made in the report by ABP Live.