I don’t know if you have received the memo or not, but not everything you see in the papers is true and not everything you hear is noise. While I’m sure you are familiar to the realm of ‘fake news’, let me tell you it is not only commoners, people like you and me, who fall for unscrupulous Whatsapp forwards.
Believe it or not, even the ones with blue ticks on other social networking sites (read Twitter) can be victims of news that is anything but true! If you are not convinced, well…you will be after this.
Recently, Kiran Bedi, the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, shared a dancing video of an elderly woman, calling her PM Narendra Modi’s mother, Heeraben Modi. Here is what she tweeted.
Spirit of Deepavali at tender age of 97. She's mother of @narendramodi (Hiraben Modi -1920) celebrating Diwali at her own home👇🏼@SadhguruJV pic.twitter.com/HBXAzNXomC
— Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) October 20, 2017
“Spirit of Deepavali at tender age of 97. She’s mother of narendra modi (Hiraben Modi -1920) celebrating Diwali at her own home.”
While the grainy video raised a few eyebrows because…
(a) The old woman can clearly be seen and heard doing garba making chances of a Diwali dance bleak.
(b) It hardly looked like Heeraben Modi.
I say so because, this is how PM Modi’s mother actually looks like.
But that wasn’t a problem for patrons who were happy to see another spectacle from the household that raised the able leader, Narendra Modi.
Here are a few reactions.
1. It began with thank you’s.
awww..so sweet mommy moment..Pranam maa
Thank you so much for sharing this happy video Mam🙏💐
— Smi #StayHomeStaySafe #JusticeForSushant (@smita_muk) October 20, 2017
2. Well, I’m sure every mother is.
A blessed and proud mother…
— ##NarendraModi## (@Chackoz) October 20, 2017
3. And ended with making people’s day!
Now we know where the hon'ble PM draws his energy from. She is an inspiration. What a spirit.
— Rajdeep Pathak (@rajwordsnworth) October 20, 2017
Until something else surfaced.
That’r right. The other section of Twitter got together to investigate and the result will drop your jaws. Turns out, it wasn’t a video of Heeraben Modi but instead of some other old woman who is winning hearts on You Tube since 3rd October.
The video is not of PM's mom
Here is the original video. https://t.co/YOKWqGHNvO pic.twitter.com/O7hWmn70XF
— 71dejavu (@moinaksg) October 20, 2017
And unsurprisingly, Tweeps had a lot to say!
1. ‘Cheap tricks.’
Such CHEAP tricks @thekiranbedi? Feel sorry for your chair Governor, why do you lie for PM's PR? The woman doesn't even look like Hiraben! pic.twitter.com/dNeKPNEJhU
— Gaurav Pandhi (@GauravPandhi) October 20, 2017
2. FAKE!
This video is not of mother of Modi. Fake False propaganda by a person occupying constitutional high post. https://t.co/K4C8PQnelr
— Krishna (@Simply_Krishna) October 20, 2017
3. Allegations like these also found the place.
How much more lower you will fall to do chaplusi of PM. Maintain some respect of the position atleast.https://t.co/rpSaYlBUaU
— Mehek (@MehekF) October 20, 2017
4. OUCH
https://twitter.com/realkeerthi/status/921258391078559745
5. I second it!
https://twitter.com/PunyaPrakop_/status/921260137955889152
Here’s the original video if you want to see for yourself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbsNb1WISbM
Earlier, Kiran Bedi made the headlines when she was criticised for not wearing a helmet while she was out patrolling at night in Puducherry. While she said it was a careful choice then, wonder what what she has to say now.