Several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionaries shared a video of Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole, on Friday while falsely claiming it showed Patole endorsing Rahul Gandhi's alleged remarks in the United States about scrapping reservations in India, if his party was voted to power.
BOOM found the claims to be false and an incorrect interpretation of both Rahul Gandhi remarks on reservations and Patole's comments.
A snippet of Patole's response to a question during an India TV debate is circulating to bolster the misleading claim.
Amit Malviya, BJP's IT Cell in-charge, shared the video while claiming, "Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole endorses Rahul Gandhi’s “we will remove reservations” statement. Provisions for reservation were provided to redress decades of social discrimination. But the Congress has decided to remove reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs. All their recent moves and statements are aimed at building ground for it. Let this be known. As long as Prime Minister Modi and BJP are around, no one will be able to even touch reservations provided by Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, let alone remove it. India’s Constitution is supreme. BJP will defend it at all cost, at all times."
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
The same misleading claim was reiterated by BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari.
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Sanjay Nirupam, a leader from the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), made the same claim as well.
Fact Check
BJP Functionaries Make False Claims
Patole's speech was taken from a live debate on the Hindi news channel India TV, where the Congress Maharashtra chief was countering BJP's allegations as posed by a journalist regarding Congress's stance on reservation, the Constitution, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
We found that, while speaking, Patole did not state that Congress would remove reservations. Instead, he endorsed Gandhi's statement, saying the party would think of ending reservation when India becomes a fair place.
The part on reservations can be viewed from the 13:30 mark in the video below.
Here is a transcript of the conversation from the debate.
India TV Journalist: BJP is raising questions about your (Congress) narrative on reservation, the constitution, and statements Rahul Gandhi makes abroad. BJP has made it an issue, saying that you bring up caste, census, and are instigating conflicts among castes, creating a rift between Marathas and OBCs. That's what they (BJP) are saying.
Nana Patole: This is an issue for those who do not understand English. What did Rahul Gandhi say? If you have the video right now, then show it. What he said was that... when we all become equal in our country, then we can think about reservation. What is wrong with this?
And Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s stance is also the same. What is wrong with what Rahul ji has said? Those who don’t understand English are twisting it.
What Did Rahul Gandhi Say On Reservations?
In September this year, Rahul Gandhi interacted with students and faculty at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
During the question and answer session a student framed her question by saying caste-based reservations were like 'treating symptoms rather than addressing the actual problem' and asked Gandhi about his and the Congress party’s stance on caste-based reservation and if the party would consider moving away from them.
Gandhi in his response explained how lack of representation in India's financial decision making and business ecosystems. He then made a hypothetical remark saying that "...we (Congress) will think of scrapping reservations when India is a fair place. And India is not a fair place."
BOOM debunked a claim by BJP Haryana's X handle when it posted a cropped video of Gandhi's comments on reservations, from the same event.