The image shows an anti-BJP campaign that was carried out ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections in 2021.
General elections will be held in India from 19 April 2024 to 1 June 2024 to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha. Social media is geared up with so many images videos related to elections. Against this backdrop, an image showing several people holding a banner with words written NO VOTE TO BJP is going viral with the claim that it shows a protest against the BJP in Tamil Nadu before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The viral image shows people carrying a ‘NO VOTE TO BJP’ banner and placards in a rally.
The caption of the viral image states, “The Mood of the Nation! #Tamilnadu_Rejects_bjp”
Fact Check-
We started our investigation by running a keyword and reverse image search on Google, whose results led us to same image uploaded on stock image website Alamy with the caption, “ People shouts slogan, carry placards, banners during anti RSS-BJP rally before election in Kolkata, India, 10 March, 2021”.
Upon further search, we found the same image in an article published by India Today on 10 March 2021.The caption of the report states that “Activists holding banner and placards raise slogans against BJP ahead of the West Bengal assembly polls in Kolkata.”
In this sequence, we searched for news related to “No Vote to BJP” campaign and found that a group of political activists had set up this platform in West Bengal. According to news reports in March 2021, a platform named ‘Bengal Against Fascist RSS-BJP’ had prepared a ‘No vote for BJP’ campaign. The investigation led us to several news articles, such as those published by The Wire and The Hindu in February and May 2021.
According to a report published by The Times Of India in April 2021, the campaign was spread to 20 districts in West Bengal. One such protest was in Kolkata, where people can be seen holding a “No Vote To BJP” note.
Taking account of these evidences we can clearly understand that an old image of a campaign against voting for the BJP in West Bengal is being falsely shared as the protest in Tamil Nadu.
Earlier we debunked the videos of the same protest in connection with the Karnataka assembly election and General election 2024
The video does not show worldwide campaign against BJP ahead of the Karnataka assembly elections
Old video of campaign against BJP goes viral again linking to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections
Conclusion-
Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral image to be Misleading. The image shows an anti-BJP campaign that was carried out ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections in 2021; it has no links with the upcoming 2024 General elections or Tamil Nadu.
Title:An old image of campaign against BJP goes viral again linking to Tamil Nadu
Written By: Usha ManojResult: Misleading
