Fact Check: PM Modi Did Not Oppose Reservation In Parliament, Was Reading Nehru’s Letter On It

New Delhi (Vishvas News): A video clip circulating on social media purportedly shows Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking against reservation in Parliament during his reply to the motion of thanks on the President’s address. However, our investigation reveals this claim to be false and driven by election propaganda. The viral clip has been altered, omitting crucial context. In reality, Prime Minister Modi was referring to a letter by Jawaharlal Nehru to Chief Ministers, where Nehru expressed his views against reservation. This part, where Nehru was mentioned, is absent in the viral clip.

What’s Going Viral?

A social media user (archive link) ‘__dream__queen07’ shared the viral clip with the caption, “Preparations are underway to abolish reservation.”

Numerous other users (archive link) shared similar claims alongside the clip.

Investigation

The viral clip, lasting only a few seconds, captures Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying, “I do not like any reservation…and especially not reservation in jobs…I am not in favor of any such step. I am against those who promote inefficiency….!”

Listening to the video clip, it becomes clear that this is a half-baked statement, which is being shared out of its context. This is the most common method of propaganda against politicians and famous personalities, in which a part of their statement is shared while omitting the context.

The viral clip bears the Sansad TV logo and mentions the motion of thanks on the President’s address, indicating it’s from the recently concluded Budget session of Parliament.

During search, we found this clip on multiple official YouTube channels, including Narendra Modi and PMO, as a part of the live streaming video from February 7, 2024.

The true context of the clip is revealed around the 39 minute and 20-second mark. Prime Minister Modi recalls a letter by Nehru to Chief Ministers, where Nehru expresses his reservations about reservation policies. PM Modi then quotes Nehru’s words against reservation during his speech, saying, “…I remember Nehru ji more with respect these days. Once Nehru ji had written a letter and this letter was written to the Chief Ministers. I am reading its translation…he had written…this is a letter written by Prime Minister Nehru ji to the Chief Ministers of the country at that time. It is on record, I am reading the translation.”

Referring to the same letter written by Nehru, PM Modi further says, “I (Nehru) do not like any reservation… and especially not reservation in jobs. I (Nehru) am against any step which promotes inefficiency, which leads to second-rate standards. This is a letter written by Pandit Nehru to the Chief Ministers.”

Our investigation concludes that the viral clip, falsely attributed to Prime Minister Modi, actually features an excerpt from Nehru’s letter, as cited by PM Modi during his reply to the motion of thanks on the President’s address in Rajya Sabha.

The original video clip of his speech is also available on many other channels.

This information is corroborated by various news reports.

पीएम मोदी ने पंडित जवाहरलाल नेहरू द्वारा लिखे पत्र को संदर्भित करते हुए सदन में कहा कि नेहरू ने लिखा था कि, "मुझे किसी भी प्रकार का आरक्षण पसंद नहीं है, विशेषकर नौकरियों में; मैं ऐसी किसी भी चीज के सख्त खिलाफ हूं,जो अकुशलता को बढ़ावा देती है."@narendramodi @PMOIndia… pic.twitter.com/S0gJANizr4

— डीडी न्यूज़ (@DDNewsHindi) February 7, 2024

Vishvas News contacted Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Dr Vijay Sonkar Shastri regarding the viral video clip. “This is a fake claim,” he confirmed.

Earlier during the same session, an edited clip of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s speech was shared with the claim that he had accepted defeat before the elections. Vishvas News found this claim false in its investigation. The fact check reports on it can be read here.

The user who shared the viral clip with a fake claim is followed by more than 2.5 lakh people on Instagram. Fact check reports investigating other election-related viral claims can be read in the Election Check section of Vishvas News.

Conclusion: During the reply to the motion of thanks on the President’s address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi referenced a letter by Nehru, describing him as “anti-reservation”. This excerpt from PM Modi’s speech, taken out of context, is being circulated on social media, misleading viewers into believing the prime minister spoke against reservation in Parliament.

Tags

• Election Fact Check
• Narendra Modi