Clipped video shared as YSRCP leader admitting to lack of development in Andhra

What is the claim?

A video is being widely shared on social media to claim that Sajjala Bhargava Reddy, the YSR Congress Party's Media and Social Media Coordinator, has admitted that there has been no development in Andhra Pradesh under his party's rule. In the short video clip, Reddy can be heard saying, “There is no development in the state.” 

One user shared the clip on X (formerly Twitter), with the post garnering over 28,000 views and 607 likes. The Telugu caption shared with the post reads, “Development has not happened in our government.” An archived version of the post can be accessed here.

Screenshot of the viral post on X. (Source: X/Modified by Logically)

However, we found that a clipped version of Sajjala Bhargava Reddy's speech slamming the Opposition is being shared without the proper context.

What did we find?

A reverse image search on keyframes from the video led to the discovery of an extended version, a 4:57-minute speech by Reddy published by Telugu news outlet Sakshi TV LIVE on July 4, 2023. In the video, Reddy criticizes the Opposition for attempting to mislead the public by portraying Jagan Mohan Reddy's government as lacking in development. He clarifies that the government is primarily focused on welfare schemes, and the Opposition's narrative is an attempt to brand them as anti-development.

He says in the speech, “Many people think there is no development in the state. Jagan is solely focusing on welfare schemes. The trap TDP and others are using now is that we are anti-development. They are making concerted efforts to brainwash all the people of the state into adopting this thinking. (translated from Telugu).” 

The viral clip, spanning from the 4:08 to 4:11 timestamp, was taken out of context from this longer video. Additionally, another 22:40-minute-long video of Reddy's speech reveals that the viral clip is from a training session for YSRCP members on effective social media usage, where Reddy motivates the social media team. However, we couldn't independently verify where he gave the speech.

Furthermore, we couldn't find any news reports suggesting that Reddy had made any such statement. Thus, it is evident that the short clip was taken from a video of his full speech and shared without context.

The verdict

Contrary to the misleading claim, Sajjala Bhargava Reddy did not admit to a lack of development in Andhra Pradesh. The viral video was selectively clipped from a broader speech where he criticized the Opposition's efforts to portray the government negatively. Therefore, we have marked this claim as misleading.