A picture has gone viral on social media. It shows Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. Social media users are claiming that Kejriwal had gone to tender written apology to Gadkari and that Gadkari was reading Kejriwal’s apology letter in the picture.
A user named Engineer Rajesh Singh has written: “In this photo, Gadkariji is seen with Kejriwal. Don’t think that Kejriwal has gone to meet Gadkariji in connection with some road project for Delhi. Kejriwal has gone to tender written apology to Gadkariji. Gadkariji is reading his apology letter.”
Around 25,000 users have re-tweeted this picture with the same claim and it has been liked by thousands. Besides, a number of social media users have shared this picture and claim on their platforms.
Fact Check:
To know the truth of the viral picture, the DFRAC searched the website of Getty Images. WE found the same picture there. The description of the picture says that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal met Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to plead with him the case of e-rickshaw drivers after Delhi High Court conditioned permission to them only after they are brought under Motor Vehicle Act (via amendment). The meeting took place on September 16, 2014.
The Economic Times had covered this meeting.
The DFRAC also searched through some keywords about Kejriwal apologising to Gadkari. We found a Times of India report. According to this report, Kejriwal had apologised to Gadkari in March 2018.
This report says that Kejriwal had apologised to Gadkari and then BJP president Amit Shah by writing letters to them.
Conclusion:
It is clear from this viral picture is not of that time when CM Kejriwal tendered written apology to Gadkari. It was clicked when Kejriwal went to see Gadkari to discuss relief to e-rickshaw drivers by regularising them in Delhi. So, the claim of social media users is misleading.
