Old photos of Smriti Irani used to falsely accuse her of holding a fish during Navratri
During the festival of Chaitra Navratri (April 9 to April 17th), photos of Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani with fish in her hands were being circulated across social media. The post claimed that the minister carried a fish and at the same time also carried a photo of Hindu goddess Durga. This was meant to question the stance of the BJP leaders as they condemned the sale and consumption of meat during the auspicious days of Navratri on one hand while the photos of Smriti Irani represented quite the opposite situation.
The post questioning Smriti Irani
नवरात्रि के पावन पर्व में एक हांथ में मछली एक हांथ में दुर्गा जी की फोटो!
भाजपाई मित्रों क्या कहेंगें ? pic.twitter.com/8OsLYAUg5Y— Deepak Singh दीपक सिंह (@DeepakSinghINC) April 14, 2024
Truth
The post is misleading as it contains old photos of Smriti Irani which were captured before Navratri. News Meter fact-checked the claims and found that the original photographs were taken on 6th April 2024 when the minister was campaigning in Chennai for RC Paul Kanagraj. Times of India Chennai had posted the image of Smriti Irani holding a fish on 6th April 2024.
BJP state secretary Satishkumar hands over a fish to Union minister and party leader Smriti Irani during a campaign for RC Paul Kanagaraj, BJP North Chennai candidate in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections, on Saturday. Photo by A Pratap pic.twitter.com/x94K5lFOk8
— TOIChennai (@TOIChennai) April 6, 2024
The image of the minister holding Goddess Durga’s photo was posted on her on her X account.
Joined the energetic crowd alongside @RCPK_Official in North Chennai and @ponbalabjp in Tiruvallur today. Also, engaged with the women of Tamil Nadu Pravasi Mahila Sangathan, committed to contributing towards India’s growth story.
With people’s unwavering support, the Modi Govt… pic.twitter.com/zsjWxoPb3n
— Smriti Z Irani (Modi Ka Parivar) (@smritiirani) April 6, 2024