The BRICS Summit was recently held in New Delhi, with heads of government from several countries attending the event. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also arrived in India with a delegation. During his visit, Anwar Ibrahim met with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi. A photograph from this meeting has been shared on social media. In the picture, the leaders can be seen discussing matters at a breakfast table. Mallikarjun Kharge, President of the Congress party, can also be seen sitting on a sofa a short distance away from the table.
Sharing this picture, a user named ‘Amatya Rakshas’ wrote, “Respected Kharge ji did not even get a paper plate, sad.”
Another user, ‘Hariom Guptaसशक्त भारत (मोदीजी का परिवार)’, shared the picture claiming that Dalit leader Mallikarjun Kharge was not given a place at Rahul Gandhi’s breakfast table. The user wrote, “Find Mallikarjun Kharge in the photo. Rahul Gandhi, who keeps shouting ‘Dalit, Dalit’ day and night, has no place for Dalit leader Mallikarjun Kharge at his breakfast table. Anyway, it is the Gandhi family that keeps these so-called #Dalits in their place. And then Rahul Gandhi comes out and keeps shouting #Dalit, Dalit.”
Fact check:
The DFRAC team investigated the viral photograph and found that it is a digitally altered image, making the claim accompanying it misleading. Mallikarjun Kharge was not present in the original photograph. The DFRAC team also contacted Pranav Jha, Communication In-charge at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s office. Jha refuted the viral claim and confirmed that the viral photograph had been photoshopped.
To verify the photograph, our team conducted a reverse image search using Google Lens. We found the same photograph posted on the official handle of the Indian National Congress on September 13. The post stated, “Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi, along with Congress General Secretary Smt. Priyanka Gandhi ji, met Malaysian Prime Minister H.E. Anwar Ibrahim over breakfast in New Delhi.”
We found that Mallikarjun Kharge was not present in the original photograph. This establishes that Kharge’s image was digitally added to the original photograph. The difference can also be seen in the graphics provided here.
Further investigation found media reports by Aaj Tak, Hindustan, and The Economic Times featuring the original photograph. These reports also show that Kharge was not present in the picture.According to an Aaj Tak report, “Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The two leaders discussed various issues during a breakfast meeting.”
The Economic Times reported, “Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim met Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over breakfast in the national capital on Sunday. The meeting took place as Anwar is in New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit, which India is hosting on September 12 and 13. Malaysia is one of the partner countries that joined BRICS following its expansion.”A Hindustan report stated, “Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday. During the breakfast meeting, the two leaders discussed India-Malaysia relations. Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also present at the meeting.”
The DFRAC team contacted Pranav Jha, Communication In-charge at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s office, for further information. Jha rejected the viral claim and stated that the photograph had been photoshopped. He further said that Kharge was in Bengaluru at the time.
Conclusion:
The DFRAC fact-check establishes that the photograph circulating on social media is digitally altered. The claim that Mallikarjun Kharge was deliberately kept away from the breakfast table during Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi’s meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is misleading. The original photograph shows that Kharge was not present at the meeting.
| Claim Review | Mallikarjun Kharge was not seated at Rahul Gandhi’s breakfast table. |
| Claimed By | X Users |
| Fact Check | Misleading |
Our Sources:
- Pranav Jha, in-charge communication, congress president’s office statement to DFRAC
- X Post by Cogress
- X Post By Aaj Tak
- News Coverage of Hindustan
- News Coverage of The Economic Times
