A video purporting to show Communist Party of India-Marxist's (CPI-M) leader Subhashini Ali praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and calling him a "beacon of peace" while criticising Rahul Gandhi is viral online.
BOOM found that the video misidentifies the elderly lady in the viral video as Subhashini Ali. Ali has clarified on her X handle that she did not make any such comments.
In the video, the lady is seen in an interview by local news channel 99 Khabar. She talks about how Rahul Gandhi does not have any knowledge about politics and that if one wants to save India, they should elect Modi. She also says that the country should be thankful for Modi.
Her full statement, translated from Hindi to English is, "If you want the country to progress, do not take Rahul Gandhi’s name. He doesn't know anything about politics and the country. To handle the country... there is a crisis in the world right now. Not just England (or any other country), every country is in a tough position. If you want to save India, bring Narendra Modi forward. Because at my age of 65, I have seen Indira Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru,and Narendra Modi too. A father cannot handle four kids in his house, they all are going in different directions. He (Modi) has handled the whole country! You should be grateful for him. We are not like Iran, Iraq, there is world war going on,... and who knows? Narendra Modi might just save us (from all this). He is the beacon of peace."
A user on X shared this video while claiming that the woman is Subhashini Ali. The caption read, "Please listen to @SubhashiniAli Ji on Polling preference (assume she said so). She has this advise for public !! All are requested to Vote AND Please Vote Wisely In the Interest Of Bharat. सभी से अनुरोध है कि वोट करें और कृपया भारत के हित में सोच-समझकर वोट करें। (Everyone is requested to vote in the interest of the nation.)"
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Another user on Facebook wrote, "CPM leader Subhashini Ali, on Polling preference, has this advise for public !!* WOW !JAGO BHARAT JAGO. VOTE JUDICIOUSLY. VOTE FOR YOUR FAMILY AND FUTURE."
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
FACT CHECK
BOOM found that the viral video misidentifies Subhashini Ali, who clarified on her X handle that she never made any such statements.
We noticed the logo of '99 Khabar' on the microphone seen in the viral video and ran a search for their YouTube channel. After this, we looked at their uploads and found that one of their videos shared on January 29, 2024, carried a portion that resembled the viral clip.
The video was titled 'Why beautiful girls are upset with Rahul Gandhi | Modi vs Rahul Gandhi Public Opinion| Loksabha Election 2024'
(Original title in Hindi: 'सुंदर लड़किया राहुल गाँधी से नाराज क्यों Modi vs Rahul Gandhi Public Opinion| Loksabha Election 2024')
The portion from 7:01 of this video is an exact match to the viral clip.
The same unidentified woman has appeared in other such vox pop videos or public opinion reporting done by 99 Khabar. See here.
We also found that Subhashini Ali had reposted the viral clip on X on May 3, 2024, and clarified that it was fake. She wrote, "This is a fake video attributed to me. Not me. Not my voice. Not my views. Have reported to ECI and police. Let's see what they do."
Click here for an archive. She also put out a similar clarification in Hindi.
Below is a comparison between the woman in the viral video and Subhashini Ali.
