No, Rahul Gandhi did not falsely attribute a quote by Mahatma Gandhi to Jesus Christ

What is the claim? 

A video of Rahul Gandhi, the current Leader of the Opposition in India's Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament), has been circulating on social media. Users claim that Gandhi incorrectly attributed a quote by Mahatma Gandhi to Jesus Christ during a speech in Parliament.

In the video, Gandhi holds up an image of Jesus Christ and says in Hindi: "Look at this image of Jesus Christ. You can see him in Abhay Mudra (a hand gesture with the palm upright and facing outwards, known in Hinduism as the gesture of reassurance and safety) here too. Don't be scared, and don't scare others. Jesus Christ also said that if someone slaps you, turn your other cheek." This speech was part of a discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address to a joint parliamentary sitting.

An account named 'Mr. Sinha,' known for spreading misinformation, shared the video (archived here) on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption: "Rahul Gandhi: Jesus Christ said that if someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other cheek also. Does he think Jesus Christ & MK Gandhi are the same?" The post received over 476,000 views and 2,000 reposts. Archived versions of similar posts can be found here, here, and here.

Screenshots of the posts claiming that Rahul Gandhi misattributed a quote by Mahatma Gandhi to Jesus Christ. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, our investigation reveals that Gandhi did not misattribute this quote. The statement appears in the Bible and is also cited by Mahatma Gandhi as originating from the Bible.

What we found 

We located the full video of Gandhi's Parliament speech on Sansad TV's YouTube channel (archived here). The relevant portion can be viewed from 17:10 to 17:29.

The quote Gandhi cites is indeed from the Bible, specifically the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5. It is attributed to Jesus Christ during his Sermon on the Mount, a well-known speech given to his followers. Matthew 5:38-48, under the subheading 'Teaching about Revenge,' states: "You have heard that it was said: An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you, do not oppose evil with evil; if someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn and offer him the other."

The quote appears in Matthew 5:38-48. (Source: The Bible)

Furthermore, Mahatma Gandhi himself attributed this quote to the Bible. In chapter 20 of Part I of his autobiography, 'The Story of My Experiments with Truth,' Gandhi wrote: "But the New Testament produced a different impression, especially the Sermon on the Mount which went straight to my heart. I compared it with the Gita. The verses, 'But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man take away thy coat let him have thy cloke too,' delighted me beyond measure and put me in mind of Shamal Bhatt's 'For a bowl of water, give a goodly meal' etc. My young mind tried to unify the teaching of the Gita, the Light of Asia, and the Sermon on the Mount. That renunciation was the highest form of religion appealed to me greatly."

Mahatma Gandhi attributed the source of the quote in question. (Source: MKGandhi.org)

This evidence demonstrates that Gandhi accurately attributed the quote to Jesus Christ.

On July 1, 2024, during his first speech as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi displayed pictures of Lord Shiva, Guru Nanak, and Jesus Christ while criticizing the ruling government. Referencing Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Jainism, Gandhi emphasized the "importance of fearlessness," stating that "all religions and great people of the country have said 'daro mat, darao mat (do not be scared, do not scare others).'"

Following objections by the Speaker of the House, Om Birla, and protests from Union government ministers led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, portions of the opposition leader's speech, including this quote, were later expunged from the Lok Sabha records. 

The verdict 

Our research shows that the claim that Rahul Gandhi misattributed a quote by Mahatma Gandhi to the Bible is false. The quote originates from the Bible and has also been credited as such by Mahatma Gandhi in his autobiography.