Fact Check: Edited Video of PM Modi’s Press Conference Misleadingly Circulates with False EVM Tampering Allegations
The viral video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is going viral after the Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir assembly elections results with the claim of EVM tampering to win the elections, has been altered and is being circulated with fake claims. The clip dates back to a 2019 press conference where PM Modi discussed the scale of party’s election management during the 2019 elections.
- By: Abhishek Parashar
- Published: Oct 10, 2024 at 05:00 PM
New Delhi (Vishvas News). After the Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir assembly election results, a video clip of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going viral on social media. Amidst Congress raising concerns about the Haryana assembly election results, it is being falsely claimed that PM Modi allegedly admitted to ‘setting’ Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to win elections during a program. In the viral clip, PM Modi can be heard saying that we ‘organise things’ by planning meticulously. The clip is being shared alongside the Haryana assembly election results, showing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning 49 seats and Congress securing 34 seats.
Vishvas News in its investigation found this claim is fake and the viral video clip has been altered. The original video clip is from Narendra Modi’s press conference after the 2019 general elections, where he addressed the party’s preparations during the elections. He even asked journalists to research how a party manages its election programs in a large democratic country, without mentioning the EVM tampering.
What is viral?
Social media user ‘Hansraj Meena’, shared the viral video clip with the caption, “It does not happen like this at the last moment. EC and EVM have to be set much in advance!”
Many other social media users have also shared this video clip with the same claim.
Investigation
In the footage, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is heard saying, “Our planning is not like this, you think that it was done at the last moment… it does not happen like this… we organise things after planning them meticulously!”
This clip also displays the results of the Haryana Assembly election with the text, “It does not happen like this, EC and EVM have to be set much in advance.”
After listening to the viral video, it is clear that it is an edited clip because the context of the PM’s words is unclear.
To start our investigation, we extracted the key frames from the video using in-Vid tool and conducted a reverse image search. We found the original video uploaded on the official YouTube channel of NDTV Profit, five years ago.
The description of the video published on May 17, 2019, read “Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends first press conference in 5 years. #BQLive #Elections2019.” PM Narendra Modi addressed the press before the vote counting for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He was accompanied by other senior leaders as well, including the then-party president Amit Shah.
Meanwhile, PM Modi discussed the party’s activities during the elections and BJP’s election management in a vast country like India, urging journalists to research this issue. This is the context of the viral clip, where he talks about the extensiveness of election management. At the 33-minute mark, he says “…it is good that the new generation of the country knows how the organisation works…how such big systems work…mobilising human resources so much…and giving a big targeted focus activity…this is a very big task in itself.”
After this, he says, “…My first meeting was held in Meerut and the last meeting was in Madhya Pradesh…There is an interconnection between the two…The revolution of 1857 began in Meerut and today I visited Madhya Pradesh, where Bhima Nayak, a tribal leader, who led the 1857 movement was hanged. This shows that our planning is not done like this…You might think that I did this at the last moment….but it doesn’t work like this…we organise things after meticulous planning.”
This video of the 2019 press conference is also available on the official YouTube channels of other news channels including Sansad TV.
It is evident that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was talking about the nuances of election management and not about EVMs or the Election Commission (EC), as claimed in the viral video.
It is noteworthy that the Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir assembly election results were declared on October 8, 2024. In Haryana, the BJP has once again succeeded in returning to power, the National Conference-led coalition has got a majority in the elections held in Jammu & Kashmir after the abolition of Article 370.
Calling the Haryana election results ’unexpected’ and ‘unacceptable’, the Congress stated, “This is a victory of the system and a defeat of democracy. We cannot accept this result.”
We reached out to BJP’s national spokesperson regarding the viral video clip.
The user who shared the viral video clip has approximately 6.5 lakh followers on Facebook.
Conclusion: The viral video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is going viral after the Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir assembly elections results with the claim of EVM tampering to win the elections, has been altered and is being circulated with fake claims. The clip dates back to a 2019 press conference where PM Modi discussed the scale of party’s election management during the 2019 elections.
- Claim Review : PM Modi has to manage EC and EVM to win elections.
- Claimed By : Social media user 'Hansraj Meena'
- Fact Check : False
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