Fact Check: Viral Picture Does Not Depict Manohar Lal Khattar, Being Shared With Misleading Claims

New Delhi Vishvas News – In a post viral on social media after the resignation of Manohar Lal Khattar from the post of Chief Minister of Haryana, a man can be seen carrying a bag in his hand and shoulder like a normal person. It is claimed that after resigning from the post of Chief Minister, Khattar is living his life like a normal person. It was also claimed that he has dedicated his entire property to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.

Vishvas News found this to be misleading in its investigation. The person seen in the picture going viral is not Manohar Lal Khattar. Also, the claim made in the post that he has donated his entire property to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund is false. However, the claim is true that he has donated his ancestral property at Baniyani in Rohtak district to build an e-library for children.

What’s Going Viral?

While sharing the viral picture, social media user ‘Ajay Sharma‘ wrote, “Sangh river is flowing. Former Chief Minister of Haryana, Volunteer of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Respected Khattar ji created history after independence by donating his entire property to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund and his residence for a public library. Sangh people do not keep anything for themselves. Today Khattar ji went towards the bus stand, similarly, Modi ji will also be seen carrying a bag some day.!!! Honest are those beads that shine differently among thousands of stones. Resigned from the membership of the Legislative Assembly, and dedicated himself to the central leadership to do the work of the organization. In this materialistic dark age, I do not remember that any other politician has presented such an ideal.”

Many other users on different social media platforms have shared this picture with similar claims.

Investigation:

Two distinct claims have circulated alongside the viral image. Firstly, it’s alleged that Khattar donated his entire property to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund, and secondly, that he contributed his private residence to a public library. Upon closer examination of the image, we conducted a reverse image search, revealing its posting across various social media profiles several years prior.

For instance, on September 22, 2020, an X user shared this image on their profile, satirizing Khattar within the context of an agricultural movement. Similarly, another user shared the picture sarcastically on their profile in 2019. These instances indicate that the image was circulating on the internet even before Khattar’s resignation, which occurred on March 12, 2024.

Upon comparison with verified images of Khattar available on the website manoharlalkhattar.in, it’s evident that the viral picture does not depict him. Further investigation into the claims made alongside the image revealed discrepancies. The assertion that Khattar donated his entire wealth to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund lacked substantiation in news searches. Had such an event occurred, it would have garnered significant attention.

Instead, a report from Dainik Jagran quoted Haryana MLA Gopal Kanda stating that Khattar expressed intentions to donate his entire property posthumously to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. However, no evidence supports the claim that Khattar has already done so. According to information on Myneta.info, Khattar, as per his 2019 election affidavit, holds assets exceeding Rs 1 crore.

Regarding the claim that Khattar donated his private residence to a public library, multiple news reports confirm this. An ANI report in January stated that Khattar donated his ancestral residence in Baniyani, Rohtak, to local authorities for the establishment of an e-library for children.

Upon reaching out to Haryana BJP’s chief spokesperson and Khattar’s former OSD Jawahar Yadav, it was confirmed that the individual in the viral post is not Manohar Lal Khattar.