Protests by farmers in India over the new price rules have not abated.
With, the controversy has become very political Thousands of farmers are blocking roads around the capital Delhi With their tractors and other machinery.
Both sides have tried to control the narrative on social media, and we’ve taken a look at attempts to spread misinformation about aspects of taking celebrities into conflict.
Did Obama say it was a shame to meet Modi?
Our first example is a claim about former US President Barack Obama, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi several times while he was in office.
Social media posts have surfaced depicting a picture of the two men, and Obama has now expressed his regret about meeting Modi at the White House in 2014.
Hashtags have been affixed to some of these posts in support of farmers’ protests.
The picture is quite real and it is from a real meeting between two men that year.
However, the Twitter post is fake. The text was spelled incorrectly, and President Obama’s Twitter profile appears to have been edited.
And an investigation by Mr. Obama’s Twitter timeline shows no such tweets have been made since the protests began last month.
Justin Trudeau in ‘Demonstration of Unity’?
The next one is about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has become embroiled in controversy after expressing concern. Regarding the Government of India’s response to the protests.
This led to a public outcry from the Indian government.
Putting the issue aside, some people have come out on social media to promote what is a misleading picture of Mr. Trudeau, claiming that he has joined forces with a group of Sikhs (many Sikhs in India) in a show of solidarity. Showed sitting.
Canada has a significant population of Indian descent, including many Sikhs.
But this image is misleading, as it is at least five years old.
This was confirmed to the BBC by the Prime Minister’s Office, which indicated that Mr Trudeau now wears a beard, while the picture shows him with a beard.
This is from a visit to a Sikh religious center in Ottawa in November 2015. There is a local news report At that time about the visit.
Mr. Trudeau’s views on the current protests in India, this picture has been used out of context.
A senior Indian minister has not changed his mind
It may come as a surprise to know that Rajnath Singh, a senior government member and leader of the ruling BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), actually supports the farmers’ protests.
Claims to show a video on social media.
In the video, Mr. Defense Minister can be heard saying: “If I had known about this protest earlier, I would have come here and increased my support that day.”
Some posts linked to the video claim that the farmers’ movement has opened a “big gap in the BJP”.
But a Google search revealed that it was an old video from 2013, when Singh was in the opposition and supporting the farmers against the then Congress-led government.
Mr. Singh delivered a speech at the time, supporting the demands for a stable source of income, and It is available on its official website.
It may be recalled that Singh, a former agriculture minister with a background in agriculture, had said in October that the present government would “do nothing against the interests of the farmers”.
Is Punjab’s top politician working against farmers?
Our latest example is Congress party politician Amarinder Singh, who is the Chief Minister of Punjab, where many farmers come, and Mukesh Ambani, one of the best in India.
Social media posts have a picture of two people shaking hands – falsely – that they met a day before the nationwide shutdown to suppress their demands.
The text of a post asks: “On the one hand, the Congress supports the agitating peasants and on the other hand the industrialists like Mr. Ambani … What kind of politics is this?”
The implication is that Mr. Singh, despite his party’s public support for farmers, is working with private enterprise interests, which may stand to benefit from changes in agricultural laws.
But the picture is three years old from October 2017, when Mr. Singh met Mr. Ambani and discussed investment opportunities in Punjab.
And it is also wrong to claim – as per social media posts – that Mr. Singh has accepted a recent proposal from the government – rejected by farmers – to undermine certain provisions in the new farming laws.
Mr. Singh has continued to support his demand for the complete repeal of the new laws.
