A video is being widely shared on social media in which Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya can be allegedly heard saying that Congress, Samajwadi Party and Dr BR Ambedkar are enemies of Dalits. A social media user shared the clip and wrote, “Deputy CM of UP Keshav Maurya says Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar is the enemy of Dalits and marginalised. (translated from Hindi)”
SouthCheck found that the claim was false. The viral video was clipped to remove the context. In the original video, Keshav Maurya was targeting Congress and SP, saying they are against BR Ambedkar and Dalits.
On a Google reverse image search, we found a similar video uploaded on YouTube on December 24, 2024. The video was shared with a caption suggesting that the video was of a press meet held in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.
At the 4:50-minute mark, a reporter asked him about Congress protesting the comments made on Ambedkar. His reply was the statement we heard in the viral clip. He said, “Congress party, Samajwadi Party, Bharat Ratna Bhim Rao Ambedkar ji (are the enemies of…) Dalit and the marginalised. (translated from his Hindi statement in the video)”
Though he worded the phrase in a way that sounds like he is calling Ambedkar ‘an enemy of the Dalits’, listening to the rest of his response showed that he was criticising the Congress and SP for never supporting Ambedkar and Dalits.
We also found that Patrika reported the same statement on December 24, 2024. The report quoted Maurya who said that Congress and SP were the enemies of BR Ambedkar and Dalits, during a press conference in Bareilly.
Therefore, the claim is false. Deputy CM of UP Keshav Maurya did not say that BR Ambedkar is an enemy of Dalits.
