Old video of Uma Bharti’s remarks against PM Modi goes viral again linking to the 2024 general elections

The video of BJP leader Uma Bharti calling PM Modi “Vinash Purush” is not recent, it is from 2011. 

General elections will be held in India from 19 April to 1 June 2024 to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha. Social media is geared up with so many images and videos related to elections. Amidst this, A video of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Uma Bharti is going viral on social media linking it to the Lok Sabha elections. In this video, Uma Bharti criticizes Prime Minister Narendra Modi in harsh words. Uma Bharti has termed Narendra Modi as ‘Vinash Purush’ (man of destruction) instead of ‘Vikas Purush’. She said that there has been no development in Gujarat, but there has been destruction. Similarly, she said that Gujarat is drowned in mountains of debt, women are not safe in Gujarat.

Archive link

Fact Check-

We started our investigation by running a keyword and reverse image search on Google, whose results led us to the same video uploaded on YouTube channel of BJP Aaj Tak on 27 July, 2011.

Upon further search, we found several reports regarding this .According to the Indian Express screening the video, then Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi had clarified at the time that Uma Bharti was not in the BJP when she made those remarks. 

We found an NDTV report published on 17 April 2014, it stated that Uma Bharti had complained to the Election Commission after the Congress party had released the three-year-old video clip. Adding that Uma Bharti said that she made the comments after she was expelled from the party.

Archive link 

Uma Bharti was expelled from the BJP in 2005 for indiscipline after a public spat with senior leader LK Advani, who was then the president of the party. As per reports  she asked for the removal of Advani, saying that he had broken the discipline of the party.

Bharti responded by forming her political party, the Bharatiya Janshakti Party. However, the party did not garner public support, and Bharti returned to the BJP in June 2011. She was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Jhansi constituency in 2014, and she served as Minister of Water Resources from May 26 to September 1, 2017.

The video of BJP leader Uma Bharti that is currently trending on social media is not recent, it is from 2011.

Conclusion-

Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral video to be Misleading. The video of BJP leader Uma Bharti calling PM Modi “Vinash Purush” is not recent, it is from 2011. According to media sources and Uma Bharti herself, the remarks were made while she was not a member of the BJP