2022 image of Congress demonstration falsely peddled as 'protest' against Ram temple

What is the claim?

A picture of Indian politician and leader of the Congress party, Rahul Gandhi, participating in a demonstration in black clothes is currently going viral on social media. The image has been linked to Ram Temple, whose foundation stone was laid by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2020 in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. 

Social media users have shared the image with the claim that on August 5, 2020, when the foundation stone of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple or Ram Temple was being laid, members of Parliament from the Congress party reached the Parliament House wearing black clothes as a sign of protest.

This picture has been widely shared on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook with this claim. One such post shared on X had received more than 11,000 views at the time of writing. Archived version of the post can be viewed here. Other archived versions of posts sharing the photo with similar claims can be viewed here, here, here, and here.

Screenshot of a viral post sharing Gandhi's photo with other Congress leaders. (Source: X/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, this picture shows Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, protesting against inflation, unemployment, and hikes in the rate of Goods and Service Tax (GST). The viral photo is unrelated to the foundation stone laying ceremony of Ram Temple.

What are the facts?

A reverse image of this viral picture led us to several media reports that carried the same image on August 5, 2022. However, these reports made no mention of the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Ram Temple. The reports were about a demonstration held by Congress MPs outside the Parliament House on the issues of inflation, unemployment, and GST hikes.

The viral image was carried in a report published by Telegraph India on August 5, 2022. News agency Press Trust of India (PTI) was credited with the photo in the report. According to the report, Congress MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest near the Parliament House wearing black clothes and marched towards the Rashtrapati Bhavan as part of the party's nationwide movement against price rise, GST hike on essential commodities and unemployment.

Screenshot of the report published by Telegraph India in August 2022. (Source: Telegraph India/Screenshot)

We also found this image in photo archives of PTI, where the photo description noted that it was taken on August 5, 2022—two years after the foundation stone of Ram Temple was laid.

Screenshot of image description as seen in PTI archive. (Source: PTI)

In the viral picture, posters related to inflation and GST can be seen in the hands of the participating leaders. No poster mentioning Ram Temple or anything related to it is visible in the image.

Several posters demanding the withdrawal of GST, a decrease in gas prices, and against inflation can be seen in the viral picture. (Source: X/Screenshot)

Why was there a demonstration?

According to the news reports, the protesting MPs of the opposition party raised slogans against the government, demanding the withdrawal of the GST hike on essential commodities. Following this, 64 MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, senior Congress leader KC Venugopal, Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, and Gaurav Gogoi, were detained by the police.

Several media outlets, such as The Indian Express, The Times of India, The Hindu Business Line, and NDTV, also carried other pictures from the protest showing Congress leaders wearing black clothes and protesting against inflation and GST hike outside the Parliament on August 5, 2022.

The Times of India reported that the Congress also protested against the government's alleged misuse of probe agencies that targeted its leaders. It added that the leaders of the protesting opposition parties were stopped by Delhi Police at Vijay Chowk and were not allowed to proceed towards Rashtrapati Bhavan. Moreover, nowhere in any of the reports it is stated that Congress leaders symbolically opposed the foundation of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi. 

It is also important to note that in August 2020, when the foundation stone for Ram Temple was laid, no credible news outlet reported that the Congress held a protest or demonstration against the move.

In fact, the Congress party had congratulated people on the occasion through a post on X. Several leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, had shared on social media posts describing Lord Ram—who is believed to have taken birth in Ayodhya at the site of the temple—as the embodiment of the best human qualities.

The verdict

The viral picture depicts Congress MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, wearing black clothes and protesting against inflation, unemployment, and GST hikes. It is not related to the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Therefore, we have marked the claim as false.

(Translated by: Ankita Kulkarni)