A photo of a Karnataka Congress member Anusha Pullaiah posing with Rahul Gandhi is being shared with a false claim that she is the wife of American evangelist Daniel Stephen Courney.
BOOM reached out to Pullaiah who dismissed the claim and stated that she is neither married nor has she converted to Christianity or has any connection to Courney.
Photos of Karnataka Congress member shared with false claims
The photo was posted by an X handle who claimed that Rahul Gandhi was pictured with Courney's wife. The caption goes on to claim that the photo shows that Congress is connected to Christian evangelical groups that carry out religious conversions.
Choudhury's bio states that he is the editor of Bangladeshi outlet Blitz.
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Choudhury had previously posted the same photo with the false claim in October 2024.
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FACT-CHECK: Congress member misidentified as US evangelist's wife
BOOM found that the woman in the viral photo is not US evangelist Daniel Stephen Courney's wife Anusha. The woman in the photo is Congress Karnataka member Anusha Pullaiah.
Pullaiah quote tweeted Choudhury's post rubbishing the claims made in it. She also posted an FIR copy that she has filed against her photos being misidentified.
Congress member Anusha Pullaiah rubbishes false claims
BOOM reached out to Pullaiah who clarified that she is not married and is not connected to the US evangelist Daniel Stephen Courney.
"For the Lok Sabha elections I was working for AICC, there I got to meet Rahul Gandhi on June 2, 2024, from when the photo is. I have filed an FIR against Choudhury's posts. The other photo of me is from Lakshadweep training Congress booth workers. I have always been a backend worker of Congress and after these false claims, I felt the need to come forward. I did not know Daniel Stephen Courney, and I'm not married or know his wife. I'm a Hindu and have not converted," Pullaiah told BOOM
We found that Pullaiah had posted the viral photo of her meeting Rahul Gandhi on June 4, 2024
Who is Daniel Stephen Courney?
Daniel Stephen Courney is a controversial US evangelist who has been preaching in various parts of India and Nepal, and is married to an Indian woman named Anusha.