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BJP Leaders Share Image Of Hoarding Of Mohalla Clinic Above Heap Of Garbage To Mislead People
Writer: Jakir Hassan
A journalist at heart loves the in-depth work of reporting, writing, editing, research, and data analysis. A digital and social media enthusiast.
Delhi, 13 May 2022 10:15 AM GMT
Editor : Bharat Nayak |
As the founding editor, Bharat had been heading the newsroom during the formation years of the organization and worked towards editorial policies, conceptualizing and designing campaign strategies and collaborations. He believes that through the use of digital media, one could engage the millennial's in rational conversations about pertinent social issues, provoking them to think and bring a behavioral change accordingly.
Creatives : Jakir Hassan
A journalist at heart loves the in-depth work of reporting, writing, editing, research, and data analysis. A digital and social media enthusiast.
While sharing the image of a garbage pile below the Mohalla clinic's board, BJP MP Parvesh Sahib Singh wrote, "This is Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party-ruled Delhi's Mohalla Clinic". we found in our investigation that the hoarding was there to guide the people to the clinic which is 50 metres from the main road, inside the lane.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal back in 2015 started a health initiative project called Mohalla Clinic. The main objective was to help the poor and reduce the congestion of big hospitals. It provides health facilities to the people at their doorstep so that they do not have to run to the hospitals. More than 212 types of medical tests are done free of cost in Mohalla Clinics.
In the context of this, Several BJP leaders and social media users are sharing a photo of a heap of garbage below a hoarding of Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinic, Niti Vihar, Kirari, Delhi on social media.
Claim:
BJP MP Parvesh Sahib Singh shared this video and claimed that the Mohalla clinic built by Arvind Kejriwal in Niti Vihar does not exist in reality at all. He wrote a caption in Hindi which reads, "दिल्ली में 1000 मोहल्ला क्लिनिक @ArvindKejriwal ने बनाएँ हैं , ये उनमें से एक है."
[English Translation: Arvind Kejriwal set up 1000 mohalla clinics in Delhi, this is one of them.]
BJP MP Dr Nishikant Dubey shared this image and wrote a caption which reads, "ये है केजरीवाल जी के आम आदमी पार्टी शासित दिल्ली का मोहल्ला क्लीनिक @ArvindKejriwal".
[English Translation: This is Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party-ruled Delhi's Mohalla Clinic.]
Former Delhi president of BJP, Manoj Tiwari quote-tweeted the post of Nishikant Dubey and wrote, "ये ही तो है ज़मीनी हक़ीक़त… कि सब कुछ विज्ञापन पर ही है AAP का."
[English Translation: This is the ground reality of AAP…all the claim exists only in advertisements only.]
Many social media users also shared this image while criticizing the AAP government. Click here, here and here to view.
We also received several messages on our WhatsApp fact check no. +91-6364000343 requesting to fact check the claim.
Fact Check:
The Logical Indian Fact Check team verified the viral claim and found it to be false. The Mohalla Clinic is located next to the location. The board was installed there for people's convenience.
During the initial investigation, we noticed that a Twitter user named Shaleen replied to BJP MP Parvesh Singh's tweet and called it fake. He shared a video of the same area where the viral image was taken. In the video, a man identified as Ravinder Bharadwaj, Municipal councillor of Aman Vihar ward 41 is showing that the hoarding was placed on the roadside just a few metres away from the mohalla clinic. Bharadwaj mentioned in the video that the clinic is about 50 metres away from the signboard. He further claims that the signboard was placed there to help people locate the mohalla clinic.
For more information, we contacted Ravinder Bhardwaj. He told us, "The hoarding was there to guide the people to the clinic which is 50m from the main road, inside the lane (mohalla). It is still 100% functional with all the staff present. BJP workers knew that the Mohalla Clinic was right there at a distance, but they chose to focus on the dirt and garbage around the hoarding. Delhi's public has made them in charge of the MCDs for 15 years and given them the responsibility of public sanitation and cleanliness, but they are ignoring that and instead focusing on the single 'Mohalla Clinic' board they saw near the garbage. They're using that image on social media to mislead people and discredit the good work, but correcting that and bringing truth forward is our duty as a citizen too, and that's why I made that video." He also shared the same video with us on Whatsapp.
On searching more, we found another user named Adil Azmi, who shared the video while replying to Parvesh Singh's tweet. The video is of the same spot and highlights that the clinic was just a few metres away from the hoarding and it is fully operational.
We then contacted Adil Azmi through Twitter who told us that this video was actually shot by his friend Deepak. Through his help, we contacted Deepak who confirmed that the video was shot by him. Deepak also told the reason why the hoarding was installed on the roadside, a few metres away from Mohalla clinic. He said, "The Mohalla clinic building was located adjacent to a Delhi Jal Board reservoir in Niti Vihar. If the board was put (outside the clinic) at the gate of the DJB (Delhi Jal Board), then the water tankers would not be able to go inside. That's why the board was put beside the main road." Deepak further said that the hoarding of Mohalla clinic has now been removed after the controversy. He also shared a video of the same. Below you can see the video.
We also contacted Shaleen who shared Ravinder's video. Shaleen who is working as Secretary to Minister of Urban Development and Health, Govt. of Delhi told us, "Even though BJP had started clinics too, in places it had power. Instead of spreading the initiative across the nation, they tend to criticize it in whatever way possible. It was a misrepresentation of facts when they only chose to highlight the board and not the clinic. And while we tried reaching out to the office of Honourable MP, they didn't bother to answer." He further said, "We've removed the board because it was creating unnecessary problems, and basically wasn't helping us. People have understood the way (to the clinic) now. There is no need to place the board there because MCD wasn't willing to own the debris which was lying at the bottom of it."
Aam Aadmi Party's official Twitter handle also shared Ravinder's video and called out Parvesh Singh for sharing fake news. They also took a jibe at BJP and described the heap of garbage in the viral picture as a failure of the BJP. It is to be noted that MCD delhi has been under BJP control from last 15 years. The caption of the tweet reads, "BJP's Fake News on Mohalla Clinics EXPOSED once again‼️ BJP MP @p_sahibsingh shared a misleading photo of a Mohalla Clinic & ended up exposing MCD's failure to clean Delhi."
It is evident from our investigation that the claim media by BJP leaders while sharing the image of Mohalla Clinic is false. The hoarding was there to guide the people to the clinic which is 50 metres from the main road, inside the lane. Hence, the viral claim is false.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.
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