A video of Congress candidate K Muralidharan campaigning in Thrissur, Kerala is going viral claiming that his supporters were holding green flags and not a national flag. See the claim here and here on Twitter (X). Some social media users suggested a narrative that they are holding Pakistani flags and not Indian.
Congress Candidate K Muraleedharan campaigning in a certain part of his constituency!pic.twitter.com/gTSMqrckX6
— നചികേതസ് (@nach1keta) March 18, 2024
No! This isn’t Pakistan, but Congress Candidate K. Muraleedharan campaigning in a certain part of his Thrissur constituency in #Kerala.
Can you spot any one National Flag of India? Is this the ‘Bharat Jodo’ ideology of @RahulGandhi that flows in #Congress? pic.twitter.com/YBiZa9skLp
— BJPShanthikumar (Modi ka Parivar) (@BJPShanthikumar) March 19, 2024
FACT-CHECK
When we received a request on our tipline in WhatsApp, we took it up as similar claims were made from Kerala about the green flag used in the campaign. First, we searched on Twitter with the search string ‘Muralidharan’ and found that the same claim was made against him when he contested for 2019 elections from Vadakara, which he won.
Congress Candidate K Muralidharan’s election campaign in #Vadakara Loksabha constituency in Kerala.. @chathootti @keveeyes @keralaCastro @go4avinash#LokSabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/zXqZBgYKQi
— Sunny Kavalakat (Modi Ka Parivar)🇮🇳 (@SKavalakat) April 14, 2019
Upon scrutiny, we found that the green flag used by Muralidharan’s supporters in the background reveals that they are not Pakistan’s flags but of the Indian Union Muslim League which is in alliance with the Congress in Kerala. Since the local constituency has a majority of IUML supporters, they are seen with their party flag and these flags have nothing to do with the Pakistani flag, which is also green but with a white stripe. See the difference:
Hence, the claim that only green flags are being shown, hinting at a narrative that the supporters are holding Pakistani flags is not true.
Claim: Image of Congress Candidate K. Muraleedharan campaigning in Thrissur suggesting no Indian flag but only green flags.
Conclusion: Congress and IUML have an alliance in Kerala and hence green flags of IUML are part of the campaign.
Rating: Misleading —