An old video of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray calling Rahul Gandhi nalayak (useless) and saying that he should be beaten up is viral online as a recent video.
BOOM found that the claims are false, the video is from 2019 before Thackeray and Gandhi became allies following the formation of the INDIA bloc.
Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) and Rahul Gandhi's Congress contested the Lok Sabha elections this year as a coalition along with 24 other opposition parties under the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, also known as the INDIA bloc. In Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress won a total of 22 out of the 48 seats.
In the viral video, Thackeray is heard saying in Marathi, "I was the only one who called Rahul Gandhi useless and said that he should be beaten."
The video is being shared on Facebook with the caption, "I was the only one who said openly that a useless person like Rahul Gandhi should be hit with shoes on the road:- Uddhav Thackeray"
(Original text in Hindi: "मैं अकेला ही था जो खुलेआम कहता था कि राहुल गांधी जैसे नालायक को सड़क पर जूते मारने चाहिए:- उद्धव ठाकरे")
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Another user on X, while sharing the video, wrote "I was the only one who said that Nalayak Rahul Gandhi should be hit with shoes” : Uddhav Thackeray. I shudder thinking, what he must have done to Rahul baba behind doors , what if he really did what he claimed should be done"
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
FACT CHECK
BOOM found that the video is from 2019 when Uddhav Thackeray criticised Rahul Gandhi for insulting controversial Hindutva leader and freedom fighter VD Savarkar.
We ran a reverse image search of some key frames from the viral video on Google and found a report shared by India TV on YouTube. The video was shared on December 15, 2019 and titled 'On calling Savarkar a runaway, Uddhav had said that Rahul Gandhi should be hit with shoes.'
(Original title in Hindi: 'सावरकर को भगौड़ा बोलने पर उद्धव ने कहा था राहुल गांधी को जूते मारना चाहिए')
A portion of this video from 0:37 is an exact match to the viral video.
In the beginning of this report, the anchor mentions that the statement was made by Thackeray three months ago, around September 2019.
Taking a cue from this, we ran a search for more news reports about the incident and found one shared by Republic World on September 18, 2019 with the title 'Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray Slams Mani Shankar Aiyar Over Savarkar, Threatens Him'
This report too, carried a version of Thackeray's speech and stated that he made these remarks at the launch of 'Savarkar: Echoes from a Forgotten Past', a book by Vikram Sampath.
We also found the full speech made by Uddhav Thackeray at this book launch. From the 11:20 counter of this video, Thackeray begins criticising Congress leaders Mani Shankar Aiyar and Rahul Gandhi for insulting Savarkar. That is when he makes the statement about Rahul Gandhi calling Savarkar a runaway and how he deserves to be hit for those remarks.
The statement was made in 2019, years before the INDIA bloc was formed in July 2023.
It is noteworthy that while this viral video is almost four years old, in March 2023, a few months before the INDI alliance was formed, Uddhav Thackeray had again criticised Rahul Gandhi for his remark about Savarkar and said, "He (Savarkar) is our God and we will not accept his insult." This statement by Thackeray came after Rahul Gandhi had spoken about his expulsion from Parliament and said, "I am not a Savarkar. I am a Gandhi, and I will not apologise."