No, Murli Manohar Joshi did not offer sweets to PM Modi after the start of Ram Mandir construction
Claim: “#राम मंदिर निर्माण की प्रथम #ईट रखे जाने पर #मुरली_जी जोशी हिन्दू हृदय सम्राट #मोदीजी का मुँह मीठा करवाते हुऐ #वाह रे हिन्दू राजा #नरेंद्र_मोदी..450 #साल का कलंक सिर्फ 6 #साल में ही मिटा दिया…सच्चा सनातन संस्कृति का #मूर्तिपूजक हिन्दू आपको साधुवाद देता है.”
Translation: “Since the Ram Mandir construction has started, on the occasion of the first brick laid, Murli Manohar Joshi offered sweets to PM Narendra Modi. Narendra Modi, you wiped down the blur in 6 years. Sanathan culture embraces you.”
The picture has been shared extensively on social media claiming that BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi offered sweets to PM Modi after the start of the Ram Mandir construction, which is after the first brick was laid down in the construction process.
The post was shared widely over Facebook,
The photo was also shared widely on Twitter,
श्री राम मंदिर निर्माण की प्रथम ईट रखे जाने पर मुरली मनोहर जोशी जी….
मोदी जी का मुँह मीठा करवाते हुए,,
450 साल बाद ही सही
अधर्म पर धर्म की जीत हुयी,,
💐💐 pic.twitter.com/3KBrRK7lj2— पंकज फौगाट (@PankajPhogat01) May 29, 2020
The picture was shared widely on Twitter as well,
Truth
Upon doing a Google Reverse Image Search of the viral image, we came across a few news reports, of the day when PM Narendra Modi visited the Bhartiya Janata Party veteran Murli Manohar Joshi, after winning the Loksabha Elections in 2019.
We found a report by The Hindu, from May 25, 2019, where a similar picture as that of the viral picture was published with the caption, “Sweet tidings: Prime Minister Narendra Modi being offered sweets by BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi as party president Amit Shah looks on in New Delhi on Friday.”
Notice that the background setting, the attire is very much similar to the viral picture.
India Today also published the image in the timeline report of the Loksabha Elections Results 2019,
As we looked for the exact viral photo, we came across a tweet by Murli Manohar Joshi where he posted the exact photo on PM Narendra Modi’s birthday last year, captioning it as, “प्रार्थयामहे भव शतायु: ईश्वर सदा त्वाम् च रक्षतु। पुण्य कर्मणा कीर्तिमार्जय जीवनम् तव भवतु सार्थकम् @narendramodi“
प्रार्थयामहे भव शतायु: ईश्वर सदा त्वाम् च रक्षतु।
पुण्य कर्मणा कीर्तिमार्जय जीवनम् तव भवतु सार्थकम्@narendramodi pic.twitter.com/HyUGKW7LAS— Murli Manohar Joshi (@drmmjoshibjp) September 17, 2019
Hence, it is established that the image is from May 2019, when PM Modi met the BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi after the Loksabha Election results in 2019. Murli Manohar Joshi also posted the viral picture on PM Modi’s birthday last year.
The viral claims that Murli Manohar Joshi offered sweets to PM Modi after the first brick of Ram Mandir construction was laid down are absolutely false.
