On August 22, political party TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam), led and founded by actor Vijay, addressed a State-level conference in Madurai.
During the rally, he passed resolutions demanding an anti-caste killing law, filling four lakh vacant State jobs via TNPSC, tougher law-and-order measures, halting Parandur airport plans, ensuring fair elections and safeguarding fishermen via Katchatheevu leasing.
In the above context, a video of a large crowd has gone viral. Those sharing the video claim it shows the massive support Vijay’s public meeting has garnered.
A social media user shared the video, uploaded on YouTube, with a caption that reads, “Thousands of volunteers gather at the convention ground to watch Thalapathy Vijay.” (Translated from Tamil)
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The video is from Maharashtra.
On a Google reverse image search, we found that the same video was shared by an Instagram user on June 23. The video was shared with a text suggesting that the video was of a large crowd gathered for a Bailgada Sharyat, a traditional bullock cart race popular in Maharashtra.
Another Instagram user shared the video on June 22, with a caption suggesting that the video was shot in the fields of Hindesari Pedgaon, where the bullock race was organised.
Taking a hint, we geolocated the area on Google Maps and found the hills that can be seen in the viral video.
Here is a comparison of screenshots from the viral video and the image of the location from Google Maps. Both show the same hill formation.
Moreover, Times Now reported about the incident and had shared the video of the venue. We also saw the viral video with the original video and saw that in the rally stage at around 36 seconds was there which was not visible in the viral video.
Hence, we can ascertain that the viral claim is false.
What is Bailgada Sharyat?
Bailgada Sharyat is a traditional rural bull-cart racing, popular among Alibag’s farming community in Maharashtra. Held between November and May, racers compete to see which bull-driven cart achieves the highest speed. Bullock cart owners pay obeisance to Shri Nageshwar during Vaikunth Chaturdashi Yatra at Awas.
It is a 450-year-old tradition of the farmers of Konkan, western Maharashtra and Marathwada. In this, four incredibly fast bulls pull the cart for 350-450 feet on the racing track, and the team with the highest speed is considered the winner.
