‘Hanuman didn’t burn down Lanka’: Rahul’s words taken out of context, clipped video shared by BJP leaders – Alt News

Rahul Gandhi delivered a speech in the Parliament on the second day of the debate on the no-confidence motion brought against the government by the Opposition. Soon after, a nine-second video was being circulated widely in which Gandhi can be heard saying, “Brothers and sisters, Hanuman did not burn down Lanka.” BJP leaders and supporters shared the footage alleging that Rahul had not read the Ramayana correctly.

BJP leader Bipin Bihari Singh tweeted the video and questioned which version of the text Gandhi had read. (Archived link)

लंका को हनुमान जी ने नहीं जलाया था – @RahulGandhi

यह कौन सी रामायण पढ़ कर आया है ? pic.twitter.com/frDPbkWKAg

— Bipin Bihari Singh (@Bipin_Bi_Singh) August 9, 2023

BJP leader Vikram Mittal also tweeted the second clip and took a jibe at Gandhi’s apparent lack of knowledge. (Archived link)

Handles like Mr Sinha and BALA, which use Twitter to share and amplify misinformation and pro-government propaganda on a regular basis, also promoted the video and the accompanying claim.

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Fact Check

Alt News listened to the full version of Rahul Gandhi’s speech in the Lok Sabha and found that the statement regarding Hanuman burning down Lanka was being circulated without any context. In reality, the Congress politician’s full statement was, “Ravan used to listen to only two people, Meghnad and Kumbhakaran. Similarly, Narendra Modi listens to only two people, Amit Shah and Adani. Hanuman did not burn down Lanka, Lanka was burnt by Ravana’s arrogance. Ram did not kill Ravana, Ravana’s arrogance killed Ravana.” This portion of Gandhi’s speech can be found on Congress’ official YouTube channel.

It appears at the 35:49 mark in the video of Rahul Gandhi’s speech on Sansad TV.

To sum it up, several pro-BJP and Right Wing accounts shared a clipped video of a speech delivered by Rahul Gandhi in Parliament and shared it out of context, falsely claiming that he did not know about the events of the Ramayana.

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