A morphed photo of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi posing as a Hindu sadhu with a bun and beads around his neck is circulating with false claims that he sported the look during the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The image has further been doctored to include Congress' Sachin Pilot.
BOOM found that the original photograph features self-styled godman Namdev Das Tyagi popularly known as 'Computer Baba', Rahul Gandhi and Digvijay Singh,
Several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members have recently taken a dig at Gandhi and referred to him as a 'Chunavi Hindu' (Hindu for votes) after he visited Hindu pilgrimages as part of the Bharat Jodo rally. The morphed photo is viral amid Congress leaders accusing the BJP of using Hindutva for their political gains.
The picture is being shared with a Hindi caption which translates to, "What will Congressmen make this 52-year-old child do?? Which costume is this??!!"
(Original Text in Hindi: कोंग्रेसी इस 52 साल के बच्चे से क्या क्या करवायेंगे ?? ये कौन सा वेश है ??!!)
Click here to view the post.
Fact Check
BOOM performed a reverse image search on the viral photo and found the original one on a tweet from Congress' official handle uploaded on December 3, 2022.
The photo is captioned as, "Blessings of sages and support of people... #BharatJodoYatra moving forward with the waving tricolor kissing the steps of success."
Click here to view the tweet.
The original picture features 'Computer Baba' aka Namdev Das Tyagi in place of Rahul Gandhi; Gandhi is originally present in place of Congress leader Sachin Pilot and can be seen accompanying the self-styled spiritual guru during the rally.
The comparison between the viral photo and the original picture can be seen below.
A report from Indian Express published on December 3, 2022, states, "Tyagi joined Gandhi in the yatra at Mahudiya village in Agar Malwa district in the morning. He was seen interacting with Gandhi and senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, and walked with them for a few minutes. 'Computer Baba' was booked and arrested in 2020 for allegedly manhandling a panchayat staffer before the demolition of an alleged illegal construction at his ashram near Indore."