On June 6, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera was fact-checked by netizens after he shared a misleading post claiming that supporters of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) were protesting against Chandrababu Naidu for his support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
At around 1 pm, Khera posted a tweet from his official account, quoting a video with the question, “Why are people of Andhra Pradesh so angry?” In the video, people were seen carrying posters of Naidu, with some even burning them.
However, netizens took no time to expose Khera and they swiftly highlighted the misleading information posted by Khera, thereby compelling him to delete it
The video in question had actually been shared by the YSR Congress in May 2024, and the protesters were from the YSR Congress Party, not the TDP as Khera had claimed.
The TDP had entered the 2024 elections as part of the NDA, alongside Janasena and the BJP. This misrepresentation by Khera sparked widespread criticism from netizens, who accused the Congress of spreading fake news.
One user, Saket, tweeted, “Media has actually given a thumbs up to the fake news factory of Congress. No wonder their officials like @Pawankhera continue to spread fake news. When was TikTok banned in India? How are people from @INCIndia getting access to this Chinese app?”
Media has actually given a thumbs up to fake news factory of Congress. No wonder their officials like @Pawankhera continues to spread fake news. When was TikTok banned in India? How are people from @INCIndia getting access to this Chinese app? pic.twitter.com/mkk78htvHw
— saket साकेत ಸಾಕೇತ್ 🇮🇳 (@saket71) June 6, 2024
Another user, Hawk Eye, commented, “Congress weaponized Fake News at an industrial level this election. Such disinformation campaigns have negatively influenced voters.”
A third user criticized both Khera and Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate: “Both Pawan Khera and Supriya Shrinate are lying,” after Shrinate shared a post suggesting that BJP won 30 seats with less than a 500-vote margin and 100 seats with over a 1000-vote margin, implying potential manipulation by the BJP.
Another user noted, “Congress is back to spreading fake news. WhatsApp university professor @SupriyaShrinate @Pawankhera both spreading lies.”
Congress back to work that it is spreading fake news
whatsapp university professor @SupriyaShrinate @Pawankhera both spreading lies pic.twitter.com/AJ8PXDAoJh
— Lala (@FabulasGuy) June 6, 2024
It’s notable that the same Congress party has often questioned the integrity of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) whenever they have lost elections, be it the Lok Sabha or the Vidhan Sabha. However, this time, with a significant number of seats won, they haven’t raised the issue of EVM reliability.
Here are five Congress leaders who have previously questioned EVMs:
Rahul Gandhi: On April 15, 2019, he alleged that EVMs could be manipulated and called for a return to ballot paper voting.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra: On May 21, 2019, she expressed doubts about EVM reliability and supported the demand for VVPAT slip verification.
Kapil Sibal: On January 21, 2019, he supported claims made by a self-proclaimed cyber expert about EVM hacking at an event in London.
Randeep Singh Surjewala: On January 21, 2019, he raised concerns over EVM tampering and demanded a return to paper ballots during a press conference.
Sanjay Nirupam: On April 11, 2019, he alleged that EVMs could be manipulated and demanded the use of ballot papers for elections.
The controversial post by Khera and the subsequent backlash illustrates the ongoing tensions and challenges related to misinformation in political discourse.
Similarly, on April 16, 2019, Digvijaya Singh, a veteran Congress leader, tweeted a video claiming it showed an EVM being tampered with in Madhya Pradesh. The video quickly went viral, raising concerns about electoral integrity. However, it was later found that the video was old and unrelated to the 2019 elections. The Election Commission clarified that the video did not depict any tampering incidents during the ongoing elections. Singh faced backlash for spreading misinformation during the sensitive election period.
On October 28, 2018, Shashi Tharoor, a senior Congress leader, tweeted an image purportedly showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi painting on a blank canvas while a pre-painted image was displayed on a screen behind him. Tharoor captioned the tweet with a sarcastic comment, suggesting it was a staged photo-op. It was later revealed that the image had been edited, and the original photograph did not include the pre-painted image on the screen. Tharoor was criticized for sharing the doctored image without verifying its authenticity.
