Is This Picture Of Smriti Irani Watching Bharat Jodo Yatra With 'Liquor' Real? No, Viral Photo Is Morphed

A picture of Union Minister Smriti Irani seated outdoors with a laptop showing Rahul Gandhi and a glass of liquid with a golden hue is making the rounds on social media, seemingly in an effort to take a dig at Irani for closely observing Gandhi during the Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra.

The image has been altered, though. The original image was posted by Irani during the COVID-19 pandemic on her verified Instagram profile, however there are no famous individuals visible on her screen, and the glass at her table looks to be empty.

Claim:

The image and accompanying text gives the impression that Smriti Irani, is closely trailing Rahul Gandhi on the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

A user with the name, "Vijay Kumar Dokania" shared the viral image with the caption, "भारत जोड़ो यात्रा में राहुल गाँधी पर सिलेंडरा पैनी नज़र रखे हुए है बेइज्जती करवाने के लिए😅😅😅😅😜😜"

[English Translation: Cylindera is keeping a close eye on Rahul Gandhi in the Bharat Jodo Yatra to get insulted]

Another user with the name, "म्यूजिक वीडियो" shared the viral image with the caption, "भारत जोड़ो यात्रा में राहुल गाँधी पर पैनी नज़र रखे हुए है ,,स्मूर्ति ईरानी 😅😅😅😅😜😜"

[English Translation: India is keeping a close eye on Rahul Gandhi during Jodo Yatra, Smriti Irani]

Another user on twitter with the username, "Parody Rakhi" shared the morphed image with the caption, "तीसरे की तलाश".

[English Translation: Looking for the third]

Fact Check:

The Logical Indian fact-check team discovered a Times of India story, dated December 9, 2020, about the Union Minister playing about with Instagram users in the comments section under a picture using reverse image search.

A picture with the description "pandemic mornings" was featured in this post and was taken from Smriti Irani's verified Instagram account on December 8, 2020.

The photo was uploaded on 8 December 2020.

(Source: Instagram)

Conclusion:

There are a few variations between this image and the one used in the viral claim, as we have discovered.

For instance, the original image does not clearly show the screen, despite the fact that the claim's photo depicts Rahul Gandhi of the Congress walking with a woman. However, the image from the claim is not displayed.

We've highlighted the original photo's digital edits for greater clarity. In the original image, Rahul Gandhi is not visible, and the glass on the table is filled with what appears to be water. The liquid's colour has been adjusted in the Photoshopped image to make it look like alcohol.

It's also important to note that this picture was published in December 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, while the Bharat Jodo Yatra started on September 7 in Kerala.

It is obvious that the photo of Smriti Irani drinking alcohol while watching Rahul Gandhi on her laptop was altered.

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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