A pamphlet circulating on social media claims Arvind Kejriwal is being perceived as the “Messiah of Muslims”, featuring an image of him wearing a skull cap with his hands raised. This comes as Delhi prepares for its upcoming elections, scheduled to take place on February 5, 2025, with results expected on February 8, 2025.
Many other users also shared the image with similar claims, which can be viewed here and here.
FactCheck:
Our fact-checking investigation has revealed that the viral pamphlet claiming Arvind Kejriwal is the “Messiah of Muslims” is misleading. Through a reverse image search, we analyzed the original picture and found a newspaper in the background, which clearly displayed the date: February 6, 2020. However, the same image is being recirculated, but with the newspaper part cropped out, attempting to conceal its 2020 origin.
A report by AajTak in 2020 also featuring the pamphlet, suggests that the pamphlet was part of a larger attempt to influence public opinion during the 2020 Delhi elections.
Clearly, the pamphlet is not recent, and its resurgence comes as Delhi prepares for its upcoming elections.
The Election Commission had previously cautioned Kejriwal about similar pamphlets in 2014, stating that they violated the Model Code of Conduct by appealing for votes on religious lines.
Conclusion:
At DFRAC, our investigation leads us to conclude that the pamphlet, falsely attributed to 2025, is a misleading re-circulation of a 2020 pamphlet.