A cropped video showing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi referring to Puri's Jagannath Rath Yatra as 'drama' has surfaced falsely claiming that he insulted the devotees of lord Jagannath.
BOOM found that in his speech Gandhi took a jibe at the Adani group and the Odisha government. Gandhi in his speech said that the Rath Yatra in Puri was halted by the Odisha government to let the Adani family offer prayers to lord Jagannath.
The Claim
The video shows Gandhi addressing a crowd in Hindi. He says, "When Jagannath Yatra is taken out in Odisha... you think... Jagannath Yatra's rath (chariot) is taken out, lakhs of people watch it and follow it and then, a drama takes place." Social media users claimed Rahul Gandhi referred to Puri's Rath Yatra festival a 'drama' and shared the video with the caption, "Rahul Gandhi you hurt millions of Hindu sentiment when you open your mouth always against Hindu, Mahaprabhu Jagannath Rath yatra is Drama, always congress hurting Hindu sentiments. congress Mukta Bharat, Gandhi Family Mukta Bharat."
What We Found
1. Gandhi Targets Odisha BJP Government and Adani Group
BOOM found that the video has been cropped from a speech that Gandhi delivered in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, on July 11, 2025. Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's speeches were live streamed from Samvidhan Bachao Samavesh in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha on July 11. At 25:30 seconds mark, Gandhi can be heard taking a dig at the Adani Group's control over the BJP government at both central and state level.
Gandhi says, "Adani ji runs Odisha government, Adani controls Narendra Modi and when Jagannath Yatra is taken out in Odisha, you see, Jagannath Yatra's chariot is taken out lakhs of people watch it and follow it. And then a drama happens, the chariot is halted for Adani ji and his family. From this, you can understand everything about Odisha government. This is not Odisha's government, this is not your government, this is the government of five or six billionaires like Adani."
2. Adani family attended Puri Rath Yatra
Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group attended the Puri Rath Yatra on June 28, 2025 with his wife and son. The billionaire businessman offered prayers and took part in the traditional 'Rath Poojan' ritual. According to reports, a stampede occurred among the devotees gathered to witness the rituals on June 29 causing the loss of three lives and leaving many injured.