President Droupadi Murmu giving Bharat Ratna to LK Advani goes viral with misleading claims.

President Droupadi Murmu was seated before and after presenting LK Advani with the award. She stood only during conferring the award on L.K.Advani.

Veteran BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani was awarded the prestigious Bharat Ratna at his residence by President Droupadi Murmu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also present at the leader’s residence, chosen due to his ailing health. 

Following this, President of India’s official Twitter account shared visuals of the event. Social media users shared one of the images to insinuate that President  had been disrespected by PM Modi and Advani by sitting on chairs while she remained standing.

Let’s check the truth.

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Fact check

We started our investigation by checking the President of India’s official twitter account for more visuals of the ceremony. Then we found that four images were shared in a thread, the posts mentioned that the ceremony was held at L K Advani’s residence, which was attended by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar, PM Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, among others.

As a parliamentarian, his emphasis on dialogue enriched parliamentary traditions. Whether as Home Minister or as Deputy Prime Minister, he always prioritised national interest above all, earning him respect and admiration from across party lines. His long and tireless struggle… pic.twitter.com/XGckO3Bup2

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) March 31, 2024

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The fourth image in this thread had President Murmu, LK Advani, and PM Modi seated. The fact that this shot displays a medal around Advani’s neck indicates that the President was seated after giving him the award.

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A detailed video of the ceremony was also posted on the official YouTube channel of PM Modi, which also confirms that President Murmu was seated before presenting Advani with the Bharat Ratna.

Upon further search, we came across a report by the Hindu. The report states, “Mr. Modi was just following the Rashtrapati Bhavan’s protocol. Ashok Malik, former press secretary to former President Ramnath Kovind, said on X that Rashtrapati Bhavan protocol has the President and recipient both standing, while other guests — including the Vice-President and Prime Minister — are seated. “If the recipient is elderly or indisposed he/she may stay seated. This event did not take place in Rashtrapati Bhavan, but obviously the usual protocol was followed,” he said.

Thus, we can clearly understand that an image showing President Droupadi Murmu standing while conferring LK Advani with the Bharat Ratna has been shared out of context. 

Conclusion

Fact Crescendo found that the claim made along with the image to be Misleading. President Droupadi Murmu was seated before and after presenting LK Advani with the award. She stood only during conferring the award on L.K.Advani.