DigitEye India Fact Checkers
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat jodo Yatra has been targeted increasingly amid the wide coverage of the Yatra in all states where it was passing through. The latest image shows the Congress leader wearing a full attire of a Hindu Sadhu (saint) with a bun and beads around his neck.
The image is making rounds in social media with a claim that he is being misled by the Congress Party. It claimed:”What will Congressmen make the 52 year old child do?? Which costume is this??!!!”
The accompanying message claimed that Rahul Gandhi sported Baba look as part of his his Yatra in Rajasthan showing Congress leader Sachin Pilot on his right and Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on his left.
The picture is being shared with a Hindi caption:”कोंग्रेसी इस 52 साल के बच्चे से क्या क्या करवायेंगे ?? ये कौन सा वेश है ??!!” [What will Congressmen make this 52-year-old child do?? Which costume is this??!!”]
The image has been shared here.
FACT CHECK
When the image began showing up on several social media platforms, the Digiteye India team looked for the authentic image in Google Reverse Image Search on Bharat Jodo Yatra. Since the Yatra is constaantly shown live on Youtube by Congress. we could locate similar picture of Rahul Gandhi walking with local godman Namdev Das Tyagi or popularly known as “Computer Baba”. See official images of them together walking during the Yatra here.
Upon closer scrutiny, we also found that Rahul Gandhi in the picture was replaced with Sachin Pilot’s image and Computer Baba’s image has been morphed with Rahul Gandhi’s face. The original image was taken on December 3, 2022, when Tyagi joined Rahul Gandhi in the yatra at Mahudiya village in Agar Malwa district in Madhya Pradesh for a few minutes. In fact, Sachin Pilot was not a part of this particular Yatra as he joined it later in Rajasthan. See the news agency ANI’s video of the Yatra:
#WATCH | Congress party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra resumed from Mahudiya in Madhya Pradesh this morning. Senior party leader Kamal Nath and Namdev Das Tyagi, popularly known as Computer Baba, also joined the yatra today.
(Source: AICC) pic.twitter.com/sZKOMObhK0
— ANI (@ANI) December 3, 2022
The “Computer” Baba, who was a supporter of both BJP and Congress in the past, was arrested in 2020 for allegedly manhandling a panchayat staffer before the demolition of a construction at his ashram near Indore.
Claim: Rahul Gandhi in sadhu attire walking in Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Conclusion: FALSE, Computer Baba’s image morphed with Rahul Gandhi’s face.
Rating: Misrepresentation — 
