A video of Rahul Gandhi trying to shake hands with a wheelchair bound person with disabilities is being shared online with misleading claims accusing him of being insensitive towards the man's disability and trying to shake hands with him despite him not having hands.
BOOM found that these claims are misleading, and the man in the wheelchair himself initiated the handshake with Gandhi.
The head of BJP's IT Cell Amit Malviya shared the video with the caption, "Insensitivity is writ large all over…"
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Right-wing Twitter handle BALA shared the video with the caption, "This guy is the most problematically dimwitted person I’ve ever seen. Rahul Gandhi tried shaking hand with physically disabled person on the wheelchair without an arm… unbelievable!"
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The claim is also viral on Facebook.
FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the video is misleading as the wheelchair bound person with disabilities was the one who initiated the handshake. We also identified him as Shihab CP, a motivational speaker from Kerala.
We watched the video closely and found that Shihab extended his arm towards Gandhi first. After this, Gandhi shook his hand and placed it on his shoulder.
We looked for the video on Rahul Gandhi's YouTube channel and found a livestream of this event uploaded on April 11, 2023. At the 1:07:45 mark in the video, a man in a wheelchair approaches Gandhi. As soon as he comes close to Rahul Gandhi, the man extends his right arm towards Rahul Gandhi, after which Gandhi also extends his hand and shakes hands with him.
After this, the video also shows the man saying something in Gandhi's ear after which Gandhi hugs him.
We also reached out to the man in the video, Shihab CP, who is a resident of Malappuram, Kerala.
Shihab CP refuted the claim and said, "Anyone with basic common sense would realise after watching the video that I raised my hand and initiated the handshake, not Rahul Gandhi. I normally give handshakes to people whom I like."
He also added, "When I went to Wayanad I even shook hands with the District Collector. The reason why I shake hands is that when somebody shakes my hand in return I feel a sense of acceptance. If they judge me for having disabilities then it is a sad experience for me but Rahul Gandhi shook my hand in return without even thinking about how I have a disability -- that shows his great mind. To understand that a little common sense is needed."
Rahul Gandhi reached Wayanad on Tuesday, April 11, where he held a roadshow and addressed a public meeting. He was accompanied by his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Additional Reporting: Sujith A