Fact Check: Edited Video Of Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma Goes Viral

New Delhi Vishvas News – A video clip featuring Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal has gone viral, in which he could be heard labeling the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a party reliant on slogans for garnering votes. Social media users are widely circulating this clip, claiming that Bhajan Lal has characterized the BJP in this manner.

Vishvas News investigated the viral video and found that Bhajan Lal’s speech had been manipulated through editing, resulting in a selective presentation that altered its original meaning. Upon reviewing the unedited footage, it became evident that Bhajan Lal had referenced the accusations made by opponents, alleging that the BJP garners votes through slogans. Our investigation conclusively debunked the viral post as false.

What’s Going Viral?

Facebook page RJ.55.Pokaran.city uploaded a video and wrote in the caption, “Bharatiya Janata Party asks for votes on the basis of its slogans: CM Bhajanlal Sharma.” Considering the post to be true, other users are also making it viral on social media.

Investigation:

To verify the authenticity of the viral video, Vishvas News initiated several steps. We extracted keyframes from the video and utilised Google Lens to conduct reverse image searches and found a video uploaded on a YouTube channel on February 22, featuring Chief Minister Bhajan Lal’s speech. In the video, Bhajan Lal can be heard stating, “Opponents used to say that Article 370 cannot be removed. Rivers of blood will flow. This is a slogan of the Bharatiya Janata Party. They ask for votes on the basis of slogans. We said that whatever we say is not a statement.”

Further investigation led Vishvas News to locate the original and longer version of the video on a YouTube channel named RKG TV, streamed live on February 21. Bhajan Lal’s speech begins at the 24:40 mark, with the portion corresponding to the viral clip appearing at 35:17 minutes into the video.

The video’s caption revealed that Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma had attended the Shri Alam Nakalang Mandir Pran Pratishtha Mahotsav, an event held on February 21. This event marked the beginning of a three-day consecration festival for the newly constructed Nakalang Alamji Maharaj temple in Alpura Dhora, Gudamalani, Barmer district, starting on February 20. The Chief Minister was in attendance at the festival.

Vishvas News reached out to Narendra Sharma, Bureau Chief of Dainik Jagran in Rajasthan, for clarification during the investigative process. Sharma confirmed that Chief Minister Bhajan Lal had not made such a statement in the context of the BJP, indicating that the viral video had been edited.

Finally, we scanned the Facebook page RJ.55.Pokaran.city. It was found that the page is operated from Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer with over 3,000 followers.