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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.

12,754 published reviews in this topic

Fact CrescendoPolitics & government

Claim: Velmurugan warned BJP to be careful

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The review investigated a social-media post alleging that Tamilaga Vazhvurimai Katchi leader Velmurugan had threatened to kick BJP members wherever he saw them. It describes a post carrying his photograph and the wording “BJPயினரை எங்கு பார்த்தாலும் உதைப்போம் – வேல்முருகன்” (“We will kick BJP people wherever we see them”). The review says it searched Google for reports of Velmurugan making that statement and found none. It then removed the BJP reference from its search and found the photograph used in the post, along with a video carrying a different headline about kicking a “communal crowd.” The review traced the video to a 2018 protest meeting organized by the SDPI party. In it, Velmurugan referred to attacks on statues in Tripura, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, then warned that those responsible would be “kicked wherever” they were seen. The review says the footage did not show him directly naming BJP members or the people he called a communal crowd as targets. It therefore concluded that the social-media post’s specific attribution to BJP members was misleading: the underlying warning was directed at a communal group, while the video’s headline supplied a more sensational framing. The review also gives context for why the footage may have been interpreted as referring to BJP: it notes that BJP national secretary H. Raja had tweeted about a possible attack on a Periyar statue after the Lenin statue was toppled in Tripura, and later apologized, saying an administrator had posted the tweet without his permission. The review presents this as a possible explanation for the video headline, not as proof that Velmurugan explicitly threatened BJP members.

The QuintPolitics & government

Did BJP Workers Protest in Bengal on Amit Shah's Orders?

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned two photographs circulated as showing BJP workers protesting and damaging property in West Bengal at Amit Shah’s behest. The Quint says it received the images during the Lok Sabha election period, and found they had already circulated about a month earlier. Its review concludes that neither image was recent or showed the alleged Bengal protest on Shah’s orders. For the first image, the review describes a reverse-image search using the InVid Google Chrome extension. That search led to a Hindustan Times photo gallery from 2012, whose caption identified the scene as BJP workers damaging a vehicle during a Bharat Bandh protest in Jamshedpur over petrol-price increases. The review also says keyword searches found reports corroborating that the NDA called the bandh in response to the price hike. The second image was traced to a different protest in Uttar Pradesh. The review points to visible text in the image identifying “Setu Gomti” and a picture of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma. A search using those clues led to a 2010 Hindu report about a BJP rally at Jhule Lal Park, by the Gomti River, against price rises and corruption. That report described stone-throwing after police blocked the workers. The review separately notes that clashes between BJP and TMC workers did occur at Vidyasagar College ahead of Shah’s 14 May Kolkata roadshow; that fact does not establish that either circulated photograph depicted the Bengal events.

FACTLYPolitics & government

Murali Manohar Joshi's son-in-law is Shahnawaz Hussain.

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned a photo shared as showing Murali Manohar Joshi with his daughter and son-in-law, identified as BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain. The review’s account says the woman in the image was Renu Sharma, Hussain’s wife, but was not Joshi’s daughter. It therefore concluded that the relationship asserted by the post was false. [S1: “The couple seen along with BJP veteran Murali Manohar Joshi is his daughter and his son-in-law Shahnawaz Hussain.”; “The woman seen with MM Joshi is BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain’s wife Renu Sharma. But, she is not the daughter of Murali Manohar Joshi.”] To investigate the image, the review reports using Google Reverse Image search. It says the picture was from Eid-2018 celebrations at Hussain’s residence, rather than evidence that the woman was Joshi’s daughter. The review also cites a 2014 post by Hussain referring to Renu as his wife. [S1: “On doing Google Reverse Image search, the picture in the post was found to be the one taken during Eid-2018 celebrations at the residence of BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain.”; “With my wife Renu, wishing Advani ji on his 50th Marriage Anniversary.”] As further support, the review says Hussain and Renu had a love marriage and identifies Joshi’s daughters as Nivedita Joshi and Priyamvada Joshi, citing the BJP’s official website for their names. These details support its distinction between Hussain’s wife and Joshi’s daughters; the excerpt does not provide further underlying documentation for the family relationships. [S1: “Shahnawaz Hussain and Renu Hussain had a love marriage”; “MM Joshi has two daughters named Nivedita Joshi and Priyamvada Joshi as per BJP’s official website.”]

FACTLYPolitics & government

Sushma Swaraj is appointed as the new Governor to the state of Andhra Pradesh

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned Sushma Swaraj’s supposed appointment as Andhra Pradesh Governor. FACTLY reports that the story began circulating after Union Minister Harsh Vardhan posted a congratulatory tweet about such an appointment; the tweet was later deleted. The review says it checked the claim against Swaraj’s own public response, rather than treating the congratulatory post as confirmation. Swaraj directly denied the appointment. In a tweet dated June 10, 2019, she wrote: “The news about my appointment as Governor of Andhra Pradesh is not true.” The review also reports her explanation that people had inferred an appointment from her meeting with the Vice President after she left the External Affairs Minister’s office. The denial directly addresses the same person, office, state, and appointment claim, and is the decisive evidence described in the investigation.

Fact CrescendoPolitics & government

Claim: Will stop Hindi imposition at the cost of 1000 lives says vaiko

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned a viral image presenting a supposed Puthiya Thalaimurai news card. It attributed to Vaiko the statement that he had a thousand genuine supporters ready to die while opposing Hindi. The review says the image circulated on Facebook on June 8, 2019, and describes the alleged quotation as part of the card: “நான் சரியென்று சொன்னால் சாக உண்மையான தொண்டர்கள் ஆயிரம் பேர் இருக்கிறார்கள். அவர்கள் உயிரைக் கொடுத்தாவது ஹிந்தியை எதிர்ப்போம் – வைகோ”. To check the image, the investigators searched for the purported June 1 news card and found a card using Vaiko’s photograph whose content was different. Its text warned of a protest in Tamil Nadu more intense than the 1965 language agitation: “1965 மொழிப் போராட்டத்தை விடப் பன்மடங்கு எழுச்சியுடன் தமிழ்நாட்டில் போராட்டம் வெடிக்கும் என்பதை இந்தி எதிர்ப்புப் போரில் களம் கண்டவன் என்ற முறையில் எச்சரிக்கிறேன் – வைகோ”. They also noted that the viral version lacked the logo and design elements found on the original card, including a watermark behind the text. The review further reports finding a statement Vaiko issued about Hindi imposition. It says that statement opposed making Hindi compulsory, not studying Hindi altogether. On the evidence described, the viral image altered the news card and substituted a defamatory quotation for what Vaiko had said; the review therefore calls the Facebook post false.

Fact CrescendoPolitics & government

Claim: Jagan Mohan Reddy promised liquor ban in Andhra

Publisher’s rating: TRUE

The review checked a Facebook post saying that Jagan Mohan Reddy had announced a complete liquor ban in Andhra Pradesh. The post appeared on May 27, before he took office: the article says he was sworn in as chief minister on May 30 and describes the timing as a reason to investigate whether he had made an announcement before taking office. The review ultimately treated the post as true, while distinguishing a commitment to implement prohibition from a claim that the ban had already taken effect. [S1: “கிராமத்து இளைஞனின் நாளைய விடியல்கள் என்ற ஃபேஸ்புக் ஐடி இந்த பதிவை மே 27ம் தேதி வெளியிட்டுள்ளது.”; “இதன்படி, மே 30ம் தேதி ஆந்திர முதல்வராக அவர் பதவியேற்றுக் கொண்டார்.”; “எனவே, மே 26 அல்லது 27 தேதிகளில், முதல்வர் பதவியேற்கும் முன்பாக, தேர்தல் முடிவுகளை தொடர்ந்து, ஜெகன் மோகன் ரெட்டி எதுவும் அறிவிப்பு வெளியிட்டாரா என்ற சந்தேகம் நமக்கு எழுந்தது.”] To check the claim, the article says it searched for reporting about Jagan’s statements and found a Zee Business report describing a meeting with journalists on May 26, after the election result. As the review recounts that report, Jagan said prohibition would be implemented, but complete prohibition would be possible only in 2024. The review also cites reports about action against illegally operating liquor shops and a phased approach, with completion expected in 2024. These details support a promise and a plan, not an immediate, completed statewide ban. [S1: “மே 26ம் தேதி, தேர்தலில் வெற்றி பெற்றதை தொடர்ந்து, செய்தியாளர்களை சந்தித்த ஜெகன், 30ம் தேதி பதவியேற்க உள்ளதாகவும், மதுவிலக்கை அமல்படுத்துவது உறுதி எனக் கூறியதாகவும் கூறப்பட்டிருந்தது. ஆனால், 2024ம் ஆண்டில்தான் பூரண மதுவிலக்கு சாத்தியம் என்றும் அவர் குறிப்பிட்டிருக்கிறார்.”; “தற்போதைய சூழலில், சட்டவிரோதமாக இயங்கும் மது விற்பனை கடைகளை மூட நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கும்படி அதிகாரிகளுக்கு அவர் உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளார்.”; “ஆந்திராவில், மூன்று கட்டங்களாக மதுவிலக்கை அமல்படுத்த ஜெகன் திட்டமிட்டுள்ளார் என்றும், தற்போது முதல்கட்ட நடவடிக்கைகள் எடுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது என்றும் தகவல்கள் குறிப்பிடுகின்றன.”; “ஆனால், இந்த 3 கட்டங்களை முழுதாக நிறைவேற்றி முடிக்க எப்படியும் 2024ம் ஆண்டு ஆகிவிடும், என்றே ஆந்திர அரசு வட்டாரங்கள் குறிப்பிடுகின்றன.”]