Video doesn't show Madhya Pradesh CM criticizing Rahul Gandhi over Parliament speech

What's the claim?

A video circulating on social media shows a man criticizing Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a member of Congress. The video has been widely shared with claims that the man speaking is Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav.

In the one-minute and 13-second clip, a man wearing saffron attire speaks in Hindi while surrounded by microphones bearing news channel logos.

He says, "The grandson of Firoz Khan and son of an Italian mother has understood neither India nor Hinduism. His actions yesterday were highly condemnable. It's shameful that a Hindu from India, who belongs to the global Hindu community and considers the entire world his family, is labeled as violent (translated from Hindi)."

The man warns Gandhi to apologize to the Hindus in India or face opposition. He advises Gandhi to change his ways and stop insulting India, cautioning that if provoked, Hindus, despite their peaceful nature, would be ready to retaliate.

Posts claiming that the video shows Madhya Pradesh CM criticizing Rahul Gandhi. (Source: X/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

Posts featuring this video have been shared on platforms like X and Facebook with Hindi captions translating to "Listen to what Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Yadavji has said about Rahul Gandhi."

Archived versions of such posts can be accessed here, here, here, and here.

What is the man referring to?

On July 1, 2024, Gandhi delivered his first speech as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. During his address, he criticized the ruling government while displaying pictures of Lord Shiva, Guru Nanak, and Jesus Christ. Gandhi referenced various religions, emphasizing the importance of fearlessness, and attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), questioning its Hindu credentials and accusing it of dividing people.

Following objections from the Speaker of the House and protests from BJP ministers, parts of Gandhi's speech were expunged from the Lok Sabha records.

The viral video shows the man apparently referring to this speech by Gandhi.

However, our investigation reveals that the speaker in the video is Rameshwar Sharma, a BJP MLA from Madhya Pradesh, and not the Madhya Pradesh chief minister, as claimed.

What are the facts?

A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video led us to a YouTube video uploaded by Bharat Express MP (archived here) on July 2, 2024. This 1 minute 11 seconds video shows the speaker from a different angle, delivering the same statements heard in the viral clip. The title clearly identifies the speaker as Rameshwar Sharma.

Additionally, several news outlets shared other videos of the same man in identical attire criticizing Gandhi, which can be viewed here (archived here), here (archived here), and here (archived here). These reports also identify him as BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma.

We confirmed that Sharma is a BJP MLA representing the Huzur Assembly in Madhya Pradesh.

Upon examining Sharma's social media accounts, we were able to match his photos to the person seen in the video.

Comparison of Rameshwar Sharma's photos from his Instagram account and a screenshot from the viral video. (Source: X/Instagram/Modified by Logically Facts)

We also found that Sharma had shared a 27-second video of himself criticizing Gandhi on his X account (archived here) on July 2. The post (archived here) features a caption similar to his statement in the viral clip: "Son of an Italian mother and grandson of Feroz Khan, listen carefully..."

A side-by-side comparison of Sharma and Yadav, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, clearly shows that the man in the video is Sharma, not Yadav.

Screenshots comparing Rameshwar Sharma, BJP MLA, and Mohan Yadav, Madhya Pradesh CM. (Source: X/Instagram/Modified by Logically Facts)

Has Mohan Yadav responded to Gandhi's comments in Parliament?

In an interview with news agency ANI, (archived here) on July 1, Madhya Pradesh CM Yadav strongly condemned Gandhi's speech in Parliament. He stated that Gandhi's remarks had shamed the entire Hindu society by labeling Hindus as violent.

Yadav added: "The way the LoP has made a statement to shame the Hindu society inside the world's largest temple of democracy, calling Hindus violent, has come to the fore as a sign of his vile mentality... I am also proud that I am a Hindu, and everyone is proud of being a Hindu."

He called for Gandhi to apologize immediately and urged the Congress national president to demand Gandhi's resignation, emphasizing the need for the party to clarify its stance by distancing itself from Gandhi's remarks.

Furthermore, The Hindu reported that on July 2, Yadav suggested that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge "should talk to Rahul Gandhi" about resigning (as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha) over his speech in Parliament.

The verdict

The claim that the viral video shows Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav criticizing Rahul Gandhi is false. While Yadav has indeed commented on and criticized Gandhi's speech in Parliament, the viral video features a different BJP leader, Rameshwar Sharma, not the Madhya Pradesh chief minister.