Fact Check: Video Of CM Shivraj Talking To Saints Is Edited And Going Viral With False Claims

New Delhi | Vishvas News: Amid the Madhya Pradesh Assembly election campaign, a video featuring Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has gained significant traction on social media. In the video, he purportedly requests sages and saints to support the Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming assembly elections. However, they declined his request, asserting that the challenge was equally demanding for them. This video is circulating widely, with many viewers assuming its authenticity and connecting it to the ongoing elections.

Upon investigation, Vishvas News determined that the viral video was edited and is being disseminated as part of an election propaganda effort. The original footage dates back to 2020 when, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan was engaged in a video call with priests, urging them for their support.

What’s going viral?

While sharing the viral video on November 9, 2023, Facebook user ‘Sachin Soni’ wrote in the caption, “Viral Video * Saint Mahatmas refused to campaign in favor of Shivraj and BJP, Saint said that this time BJP will win only 50 seats. Will shrink.”

Investigation:

To verify the authenticity of the viral video, we conducted a Google search using relevant keywords. Our search led us to the original video, which was uploaded on the official Facebook page of Punjab Kesari Madhya Pradesh on April 28, 2020. In this video, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh was engaged in a video call with priests, addressing the challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis. During this interaction, he sought their support in dealing with the crisis. However, upon reviewing the entire one-hour and 21-minute video, we did not find any content matching the claims made in the viral video.

Further investigation based on the gathered information involved another Google search using related keywords. The viral video was located on the official YouTube channel of IBC24, and the report associated with it was shared on April 28, 2020. According to the report, CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan had indeed discussed the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic with saints during a video call.

In the course of our investigation, we found the original video, which was shared on Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s official Facebook page. This live video was broadcast on April 28, 2020. The accompanying caption indicated that Shivraj Singh Chouhan had conducted a video conference with saints to discuss the challenges posed by COVID-19 and the importance of unity.

Within the original video, a segment corresponding to the viral video featuring CM Shivraj can be seen from the 35th to the 45th-second mark. Additionally, the viral video of the sadhu is visible at the 12:55 timestamp in the original footage. Subsequently, it becomes evident that the viral video has undergone editing, including the addition of audio through the use of editing tools.

To gather more insights, we reached out to Abhay Pratap Singh, a member of the Madhya Pradesh BJP working committee. He informed us, “With elections approaching, opposition parties are resorting to such tactics to tarnish the image of our party and Shivraj Singh Chouhan. This edited video is being circulated in an attempt to defame the Chief Minister. However, their efforts will not yield any benefits. I am confident that we will emerge victorious once again.”

Despite conducting searches on Google using various keywords, we could not find any reports related to the viral claim that saints criticised CM Shivraj for election campaigning and publicity.

Further, we examined the profile of the user who shared the video with the false claim. This user, residing in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, has 4,697 friends and 4700 followers.

Conclusion: In its investigation, Vishvas News found that the viral video featuring CM Shivraj has been edited and is being circulated with the aim of election propaganda. The original video dates back to 2020 when, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he engaged in a video call with saints, urging them for their support.

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• Shivraj Singh Chauhan