A video of Union Agriculture Minister and senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan has gone viral on social media, with users claiming it shows him attacking his own party leadership. In the clip, Chouhan is heard saying, “The country runs by the Constitution... by rules and procedures, not by the whim of some deranged person.” (Translated from Hindi).

The claim accompanying the video alleges that Chouhan was referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and other BJP leaders as ‘deranged’ and ‘obsessive’, a stunning public attack from within the party’s own ranks.

A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “The country runs on the Constitution. Not on the whims of lunatics!!  - Shivraj Singh Chouhan.” 

SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The viral video was taken out of context from a press conference. In the original video, Chouhan targeted the Congress and its leadership.

On a Google reverse image search, we found that the same video was shared by the official YouTube channel of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which had uploaded the full video on October 12.

The footage is from a press conference at the BJP office. At approximately the 12-minute mark of the full video, a reporter can be heard asking Chouhan a question about Rahul Gandhi’s statement, specifically Rahul's assertion that the Congress would protest wherever it was permitted to do so and his complaint about being stopped from demonstrating peacefully.

And at around 13 minutes, Chouhan responds, “The country runs by the Constitution. It runs by rules and procedures, not by the whim of some deranged person.”

The video was also shared by India Today on October 12, with a caption that reads, “A leader addressed reporters in a press briefing, launching a sharp attack against the Congress party for its electoral performances and functioning. The speaker stated that the reason for the defeat of the Congress is not the Election Commission but its own idea-less leadership that lacks understanding of the nation, its values, and its people. The briefing highlighted severe leadership disputes across multiple states, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Karnataka, and Telangana. It was pointed out that the party has been out of power for decades in major states such as Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh, reducing it to a junior partner and parasitic party relying on regional allies like the DMK, RJD, SP, JMM, and National Conference. The speaker also addressed questions regarding Rahul Gandhi, protests in Delhi, and communications to judicial authorities, stating that constitutional mechanisms and rules must be respected rather than creating unrest.”

The Times of India also reported the press conference on October 12.

Hence, we can ascertain that the viral claim is false.