An image showing recently ousted Rajasthan deputy chief minister and rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot with Bharatiya Janata Party President JP Nadda, is photoshopped and fake.
The photo is being shared in the backdrop of the political crisis in Rajasthan after Pilot along with 18 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) have rebelled against the Congress government led by Ashok Gehlot. This has led to speculation over the political future of Pilot and the decision he takes next whether to join the BJP or chart his own path
Following growing rumblings of discontent between the deputy CM and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot was sacked from the post as well as stripped off the charge of the state Congress machinery on July 14, 2020. Pilot has so far insisted to media persons he will not be joining the BJP
Also Read: Rajasthan Political Crisis: Sachin Pilot Sacked As Deputy CM
In the photoshopped image, BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda is seen handing a yellow bouquet of flowers to Pilot. It is being shared with the caption, "Congratulations join BJP 💐💐#Sachin_pilot Join BJP"
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The same photo is being shared on Facebook, with the misleading claim.
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Also Read: Rajasthan Political Crisis: IANS Falls For Fake Sara Pilot Twitter Account
FACT-CHECK
On performing a simple reverse image search, we found that the photograph was photoshopped. The search results showed that in the original photo, former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia present with BJP president JP Nadda joining the party in March 2020.
Google search results
The photograph was taken when Scindia was inducted in the BJP in the presence of party chief JP Nadda, on March 11, 2020, after he quit the Congress party.
On comparing the photo being shared with the original photograph, we found that Pilot's face had been edited and added in the image. In the original photo, one can spot the same expression on JP Nadda's face, along with the same yellow bouquet of flowers.
Another abnormality that can be noticed in the image is that Pilot's head looks disproportionately large to the rest of his body in the photo
Comparison
We also found the original image from which Pilot's head has been cropped and added. In the photo, the way the hair falls, the shadow of his glasses are on his left eye, and reflection of light on the right side of the forehead is the same as in the viral image.
Additionally, while writing this article, we did not find any news reports on Pilot joining the BJP.
BOOM had previously debunked misinformation going around in the midst of the political crisis in the state when wire agency IANS had fallen for tweets from a fake Twitter account impersonating Sara Pilot, wife of Sachin Pilot, criticising Rajasthan CM Gehlot