Claim
A video carrying a photograph of Indian steel tycoon and ArcelorMittal executive chairman Lakshmi Mittal with a background audio clip has been revived on social media platforms falsely identifying the speaker as Mittal. In the audio, an unidentified speaker can be heard blaming India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and accusing him of being responsible for declaring the country as a secular nation. The speaker further claims that Narendra Modi is the first Prime Minister of India who has started propagating ‘nation first’ policy but people are labelling him as a Hindu. The speaker also says his grandfather was the largest steel manufacturer of the country after the Tatas and brings references of Hindus being “subjugated, humiliated and massacred,” making a comparison to other nations and religions.
Fact
BOOM debunked the same audio clip in September 2019 when it went viral with a same false claim and misindentified the speaker as ArcelorMittal group chairman Lakshmi Mittal. The group then tweeted about the viral audio clip and clarified that the speaker in the audio is not Lakshmi Mittal as being claimed on social media platforms. The tweet reads, "An audio file is circulating online claiming to be remarks on Indian politics and religion by our Chairman and CEO. We do not know who the speaker is, but it is not Mr Lakshmi Mittal." ArcelorMittal also reiterated the same when BOOM reached out to them for a response regarding the viral claim. We were unable to independently verify the identity of the speaker in the viral audio.