A video of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge making remarks about taking a dip in the Ganga has gone viral on social media.
In the video, Kharge is seen addressing a rally. In the video, he is heard saying, “If bathing in Ganga would have ended poverty, then these people would have spent thousands of rupees and competed to bathe in Ganga.”
The video is shared with a caption claiming it was recorded at his recent rally in Haldwani, Uttarakhand. The footage, which shows Kharge questioning whether bathing in the Ganga can alleviate poverty, has been shared widely amid the ongoing Kanwar Yatra season.
A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge, who arrived in Haldwani, made a controversial statement, saying that taking a dip in the Ganga will not eradicate poverty.”
SouthCheck found that the claim is misleading. The viral video is from January 2025 showing Kharge addressing a rally in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.
On searching with appropriate keywords, we found that the same video was shared by Mallikarjun Kharge on his X account on January 27, 2025.
The video is 1:21 minutes long. In the video, he is heard saying, “Hey brother, does taking a dip in the Ganga really ward off poverty? Does it fill your stomach with food? I don’t want to hurt anyone’s faith. If anyone’s feelings are hurt, I apologise. But tell me this: when a child is dying of hunger, when a child isn’t going to school, when labourers aren’t getting their wages... when all this is happening, these people are taking dips in the competition. In the competition, first one takes a dip, then another... and they keep dipping until it looks good on TV. The welfare of the country won't come from such people. Our faith is in God. We can do it. Everyone has the freedom. You do your daily worship. Every man and every woman worship at home and step out. We have no objection to that. What we object to is the exploitation of the poor in the name of religion; we have to fight against that.”
We further found that NDTV India had also shared the video on January 28, 2025. The video was shared with a caption that reads, “‘Hey brother, does taking a dip in the Ganga eliminate poverty?’ said Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge at a Congress event held in Mhow near Indore.”
The incident was also reported by Aaj Tak on January 27, 2025.
According to the report, Mallikarjun Kharge criticised BJP leaders for taking a dip at the Maha Kumbh, saying it would not eradicate poverty. Speaking in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, he said children were going hungry, workers were not receiving wages and people were spending thousands on ritual baths. Kharge clarified that he did not intend to hurt anyone’s religious sentiments and apologised if his remarks offended anyone.
According to a report published on August 8, Kharge addressed the ‘Vijay Shankhnad’ rally at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani, where he targeted both the Uttarakhand BJP government and the Central Government. The rally was held ahead of the Uttarakhand elections, which are to be conducted in 2027. However, he made no such remarks in the rally.
Hence, we can ascertain that the viral claim is misleading.
