The Verdict [False]
- This image is from a 2011 Congress event, and the man in the viral photo differs in attire from Manmohan Singh, who wore a blue turban that day.
What’s the claim?
An image showing a turbaned man touching Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Sonia Gandhi’s feet has been widely shared with the claim that it depicts former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh bowing to her. The photo shows a man in an orange turban, white kurta, and beige overcoat touching Gandhi’s feet, with her son and current MP from Rae Bareli, Rahul Gandhi, standing behind her. This image has gained traction following the death of Singh on December 26, 2024. Singh served as prime minister from 2004 to 2014.
The viral image includes Hindi text that translates to: “Look at the Congress party, Sonia Gandhi, aged 71, Manmohan Singh, aged 85. This was our former Prime Minister. At least his age should have been considered, and on top of that, the useless person standing behind is laughing.”
The image has been shared with claims that Singh was subservient to Gandhi even during his tenure as prime minister. One such post on X garnered over 75,000 views and 2,000 likes at the time of writing. Archived versions of similar posts can be found here, here, and here.
However, we found that the turbaned man seen in the image is not Manmohan Singh.
What we found
A reverse image search revealed the same photo on Getty Images, uploaded on November 29, 2011. The description reads: “A representative touches the feet of Sonia Gandhi as Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi looks on during the Indian Youth Congress's national-level convention of Elected Office Bearers in New Delhi on Tuesday.” The image is credited to Shekhar Yadav of The India Today Group via Getty Images.
The event in question, the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) convention, was held on November 29, 2011, in New Delhi. Prominent Congress party leaders, including Gandhi, Singh, and Rahul Gandhi, attended. A keyword search for ‘Indian Youth Congress National convention in New Delhi on November 29, 2011’ on Getty Images led us to several other images from the event.
We found that Singh was wearing a blue turban, white kurta, and a navy blue Nehru jacket at the convention—not an orange turban and beige jacket as seen in the viral image.
News outlets like Hindustan Times also covered the 2011 convention, publishing several images of Singh in his distinctive blue turban and clothing. This further verifies that the man in the viral image is not Singh.
Additionally, a video of Singh’s address at the convention, posted on the official YouTube channel of the Indian Youth Congress on November 30, 2011 (archived here), shows that his attire did not match that of the person in the viral image.
While the identity of the man seen in the image could not be established, he has been described only as a Congress worker. The evidence, however, conclusively shows that the person shown touching Gandhi’s feet at the 2011 event is not the former prime minister.
The verdict
A man wearing an orange turban and touching Sonia Gandhi’s feet has been misidentified as the late former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Singh’s attire at the event was distinct from that of the person in the viral image.
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.