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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Politics & government fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about politics & government. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

12,751 published reviews in this topic

FACTLYPolitics & government

Since 2008, reservations were given to Muslims and Christians in Central government institutions; hence such low number of Hindu officers in those institutions

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim linked two assertions: that central government institutions had reserved posts for Muslims and Christians since 2008, and that this explained an allegedly low number of Hindu officers. FACTLY examined officer lists for the President’s Secretariat, Vice President’s Secretariat and Prime Minister’s Office, comparing the lists with the post’s claimed religious breakdowns. It reports that the post’s figures did not match the lists published on the institutions’ websites. For the President’s Secretariat, the post alleged that 45 of 49 officers were Muslims or Christians and four were Hindus; FACTLY says the website listed about 36 officers, most with Hindu names. For the Vice President’s Secretariat, the post claimed all seven officers were Muslims or Christians, while the website listed about 52 officers, most with Hindu names. For the Prime Minister’s Office, the post alleged 33 of 35 were Muslims or Christians and two were Hindus; FACTLY says the website listed about 49 officers, most with Hindu names. The counts and breakdowns reported in the post therefore do not correspond to the published lists. FACTLY also states that the Constitution does not permit reservation solely on the basis of religion, that no rule provides reservations specifically for Muslims and Christians in central government institutions, and that the government does not maintain a list based solely on religion. Together, its comparison of official staff lists and its account of the applicable rules contradict the post’s explanation for the alleged low number of Hindu officers.

FACTLYPolitics & government

‘Divide everyone and loot together’ – BJP slogan delivered by Modi

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns a short video of Narendra Modi saying “divide everyone and loot together,” presented as a BJP slogan. FACTLY identifies the clip as an excerpt from Modi’s public address at an election rally in Almora, Uttarakhand, and examines whether the surrounding speech supports that attribution. The review says it used the ABP Ganga logo visible in the viral clip to locate the broadcaster’s full-length rally footage through a YouTube search. It then compared the excerpt with the longer speech and also points to a lengthier video shared by Modi’s official Twitter account. In the surrounding remarks, Modi contrasts his government’s stated approach of inclusive growth with what he describes as the formula of parties opposing it; he specifically attributes the slogan to Congress’s policy. The review therefore finds that the clip was cropped in a way that made his words appear to be a BJP slogan, rather than the slogan he attributed to political opponents.

FACTLYPolitics & government

Video of Putin talking on the issues of Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan’s request for money

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns a video presented as Putin saying that Gilgit-Baltistan should be part of India, Russia opposed Pakistan’s initiative, and Pakistan’s prime minister sought money. FACTLY reports that the clip’s Russian speech was overlaid with subtitles asserting those statements. Its account of what Putin actually said is different: “In the video, Putin spoke about the recent sanctions imposed by the Western countries on Russia. There was neither a mention of Pakistan nor Gilgit-Baltistan.” To identify the clip, FACTLY noted the Россия 24 logo and searched that broadcaster’s YouTube channel using keywords. It says the same video was uploaded there on 28 February 2022 under a title translated as “Putin called a meeting on economic issues.” FACTLY reports that the audio matched the social-media clip, while the subtitles differed. It also points to other news agencies’ versions with proper translations, which it says likewise show Putin discussing Western sanctions, not Pakistan or Gilgit-Baltistan. The review adds that it found no news reports of Putin making the alleged statements. It distinguishes the viral video from separate reporting about Imran Khan’s recent meeting with Putin: according to FACTLY, Khan raised Kashmir, while a February 2022 statement from the Russian Embassy in India said Russia’s position on Kashmir and non-interference in bilateral disputes remained unchanged. These separate developments do not establish that the video contains the alleged remarks. The review concludes that its subtitles misrepresent Putin’s Russian speech.

Fact Crescendo Sri LankaPolitics & government

යුක්රේන ජනපති යුරෝපා සංගමය සමග එක්වීමට අත්සන් තැබුවාද?

Publisher’s rating: Misleading

The claim concerns a photograph circulated with the assertion that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had signed for Ukraine to join the European Union. The investigation identifies the image as showing a different step: on February 28, Zelensky signed an official application asking for Ukraine to be granted EU membership. Signing an application was not the same as signing Ukraine into the Union.

Vishvas NewsPolitics & government

big news Mulayam Singh Yadav ji has told Union Minister Smriti Irani ji, my heartfelt wish is that Yogi ji becomes the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh again

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned an alleged conversation during the budget session: Smriti Irani had visited Mulayam Singh Yadav, and a viral post said he told her that he wanted Yogi Adityanath to become Uttar Pradesh’s chief minister again. The review identifies a Facebook post sharing that wording on 31 January 2022 and says similar posts circulated. Its investigation concluded that Yadav had not made the statement. [S1]

dpaPolitics & government

Poutine s'est adressé aux leaders mondiaux en les accusant de délibérément essayer de réduire la population.

Publisher’s rating: Il n’existe aucune preuve démontrant que Vladimir Poutine ait tenu de tels propos. Le texte publié sur Facebook circule depuis 2020 au moins, et réapparait régulièrement sur les réseaux sociaux sans que son authenticité ait jamais été établie.

The claim concerns words attributed to Vladimir Putin in Facebook posts: that world leaders were pursuing plans to reduce the population and would face consequences if they continued. The investigation says the posts circulated in February 2022, while similar versions had appeared earlier. It reports that the text had circulated since at least 2020 and that its authenticity had never been established. [S1: “Dans celui partagé sur Facebook en février 2022, le président russe se serait dit « fatigué de tout » et aurait affirmé connaître les « plans diaboliques » des leaders mondiaux « pour réduire la population de la planète ».”; “Ce même texte circulait déjà sur le réseau social en 2020”] The review traces the claim to a video of Putin speaking, over which misleading subtitles were added. It says the video was recorded in Moscow in May 2016 at a ceremony commemorating the end of the Second World War. The French-subtitled version reappeared in February 2021, and the review describes fabricated subtitles being added to the speech since at least 2017. [S1: “La même vidéo, avec des sous-titres en français cette fois – qui correspondent au texte ci-dessus –, est réapparue en février 2021.”; “Depuis 2017 au moins, de faux sous-titres sont ajoutés.”; “La vidéo d’origine a été immortalisée en mai 2016 à Moscou, lors d’une cérémonie commémorant la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale.”] As a check against the subtitles, the review points to the Kremlin’s transcript and English translation of the speech. It says Putin paid tribute to veterans and concluded by discussing terrorism as a global threat and Russia’s willingness to work with other states to defeat it—not the population-reduction remarks attributed to him. The review also notes earlier checks of other versions of the false text by AFP and Reuters. [S1: “La transcription de son discours, ainsi que la traduction en anglais, sont disponibles sur le site du Kremlin.”; “Il y rend tout d'abord hommage aux anciens combattants, avant de conclure (traduit de l’anglais) : « Aujourd'hui, la civilisation est à nouveau confrontée à la cruauté et à la violence : le terrorisme est devenu une menace mondiale. Nous devons vaincre ce mal ; la Russie est disposée à joindre ses efforts à ceux de tous les États (…) »”; “Différentes versions du texte erroné ont été vérifiées auparavant, comme ici par l’AFP ou encore ici par Reuters”]