Politics
BJP leader Vijay Goel called out the false news, assuring that it was an old hoarding.
As the Indian government gears up to host the G20 summit in New Delhi on 9 and 10 September, Bharatiya Janata Party opposition political leaders and journalists ideologically aligned with them, spread misinformation that purportedly showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi insulting other world leaders.
They shared a picture on their X (formerly Twitter) accounts, showing Prime Minister Modi ahead of world leaders in popularity. Those who shared the picture included Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor and Pawan Khera, and journalists Rohini Singh and Sakshi Joshi.
BJP was quick to call out the misinformation. BJP leader Vijay Goel posted, "This is fake news. No such hoarding has been put. Congress should desist from such petty politics at a time when India is hosting the world.”
Later, Tharoor and Khera deleted their posts. Singh also deleted her post after being called out.
The hoarding, however, is not morphed. It was indeed put up in the capital city, but at least five months ago.
It was put up by Vijay Goel after a survey by US-based Morning Consult found Prime Minister Modi to be the most popular leader with 78 per cent votes.
From today (8 September) onwards, heads of 40 state of G20 nations and leaders of global organisations have started arriving at New Delhi for the summit.
The guests include US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.