A video is being widely shared on social media in which Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is seen wearing a pink cloth over his shoulders and a garland of flowers with tilak on his forehead. The video shows him coming out of a temple while the crowd around him chants the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Those sharing the video claim that it shows Rahul Gandhi visiting the Ayodhya Ram Temple after filing the nomination from Raebareli.
“Rahul Gandhi visits Ayodhya after filing his candidature from Rae Bareli. Crowds shout ‘Modi Modi’,” said an X user who shared the video.
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. We found that the viral video was filmed inside Baba Baidyanath Dham in Deoghar, Jharkhand.
On doing a Google reverse image search, we found the same video, shot from a different angle, tweeted by ANI on February 3, 2024. The caption said, “Slogans including ‘Narendra Modi Zindabad’, ‘Rahul Gandhi Zindabad’ raised by some people during Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Baba Baidyanath Dham temple, in Deoghar, Jharkhand.”
Taking this hint, we searched with appropriate keywords and found a report published by Hindustan Times on February 4, 2024. The report stated that Rahul Gandhi had visited the ancient temple in Deoghar and performed a ‘Rudrabhishek’ at the temple. The news outlet shared photos of Rahul Gandhi performing puja inside the ‘Baba Baidyanath Dham in Deoghar during the second day of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Jharkhand.’
In the images, he is seen wearing the same pink cloth as seen in the viral video.
India.com had also reported on the incident. According to its report, Rahul Gandhi visited the Baba Baidyanath Dham in Jharkhand’s Deoghar during his visit to Jharkhand for his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.
Hence, we conclude that the viral video is old and does not show Rahul Gandhi visiting the Ayodhya Ram Temple after filing his nomination in Raebareli.