Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been caught red-handed for spreading a “False” video on social media platforms.
Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday had posted a video on Facebook and Twitter claiming that ‘Pakistan zindabad’ slogans were raised by AIUDF supporters on the arrival of party chief Maulana Badruddin Ajmal at Silchar Airport.
The controversial Assam minister, who is also the convenor of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), had tweeted: “Look at the brazenness of these fundamentalists anti-national people who are shouting PAKISTAN ZINDABAD while they welcome MP @BadruddinAjmal. This thoroughly exposes @INCIndia which is encouraging such forces by forging an alliance. We shall fight them tooth & nail.”
Look at the brazenness of these fundamentalists anti-national people who are shouting PAKISTAN ZINDABAD while they welcome MP @BadruddinAjmal.
This thoroughly exposes @INCIndia which is encouraging such forces by forging an alliance. We shall fight them tooth & nail. Jai Hind?? pic.twitter.com/CiHZjDweFF
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 6, 2020
Facebook on Saturday marked the video posted by Himanta Biswa Sarma’s as “False Information”, and said the video was checked by independent fact-checkers, and found it “False”.
On Friday evening, Alt News, an Indian non-profit fact checking website had also reported the video posted by Himanta Biswa Sarma as “False”.
Alt News is run by former software engineer Pratik Sinha and Muhammed Zubair, and was launched on February 9, 2017 to combat the menace of Fake News. It is a signatory partner of the International Fact-Checking Network.
Senior leaders of Congress were quick to react to Himanta Biswa Sarma’s propaganda against the party.
Debabrata Saikia, leader of the opposition in Assam Legislative Assembly and Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi had demanded that if anyone was actually raised “Pakistan Zindabad” slogan at Silchar airport, should be arrested immediately.
The AIUDF had also issued a press statement immediately after Himanta Biswa Sarma’s video went viral on social media.
The AIUDF described the video as “cheap politics” by the BJP. The party claimed Himanta Biswa Sarma distorted the slogan ‘Aziz Khan Zindabad’ into ‘Pakistan Zindabad’.
Aziz Ahmed Khan is an MLA of AIUDF, and represents the Karimganj South Assembly constituency.
The Alt News in its report had also reported that upon closely listening to the audio, it found that the slogan raised by the AIUDF supporters was ‘Aziz Khan zindabad’ and not ‘Pakistan zindabad’.
Even after being caught on the wrong foot by Facebook and Alt News, Himanta Biswa Sarma is yet to admit that the video which he had uploaded was “False”.