Video Of Tulsi Gabbard Praising The Gita Viral As NZ PM Jacinda Ardern

A video of US Congress Representative Tulsi Gabbard speaking about the Bhagavad Gita on Janmashtami, on August 11, 2020, is being shared with the claim that it is New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

The video has been shared on Facebook with the caption: Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern is a New Zealand politician who has as the 40th prime minister of New Zealand. Please listen to her for what she is telling about Bhagwan Shri Krishna and Bhagavad Gita. Jay Shri Krishna.

The video has also been shared with similar captions on Facebook. The archives of the Facebook posts can be found here, here and here.

BOOM also received the video on our WhatsApp helpline with the caption: Janmasthami greeting from a very unexpected person, none other than New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern! I never knew she is so much touched by Bhagvat Gita. Listen to her 3 minutes compassionate message.

Fact Check

The woman in the video is not New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern but former US Presidential nominee and US Congress Representative from Hawaii Tulsi Gabbard.

Gabbard has shared the video of the importance of Gita to her life on her official Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Gabbard is the first Hindu member of the US Congress. She has served two tours of military duty in Iraq and Kuwait. She is also a member of the Hawaii Army National Guard.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2014 visit to the USA, Gabbard had gifted him her copy of the Bhagavad Gita. In a Facebook post, Gabbard later said that the copy she gifted was the one she had taken on her army tour as well as used to take her Congressional oath of office.

Social media posts had previously shared a video of Ardern visited a Hindu temple with false claims that the visit was to show solidarity to Hindus after the Bhumi pujan of the proposed Ram temple in Ayodhya.

BOOM has fact-checked the claims which can be read here.