On Friday, August 11, Times Now published a report which claimed that BJP workers have backed SDPI in the gram panchayat elections in Karnataka. As soon as Times Now posted the claim on X (formerly Twitter) the assorted bunch of leftists and members of the opposition parties rushed to use the post to further their anti-BJP agenda. Heading the list was Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair, notorious for peddling fake news and the Congress party and its loyalists. BJP, however, trashed the media report calling it fake.
In a report shared by Times Now, it was claimed that the political wing of the Popular Front of India (PFI), SDPI was backed by BJP workers in the gram panchayat elections in Karnataka.
BJP workers have backed the SDPI in the gram panchayat elections in Karnataka. The SDPI is considered the political wing of the PFI.
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) August 11, 2023
@dpkBopanna shares more details with @Swatij14 pic.twitter.com/28oNveLgMq
The report was also retweeted by Alt News rumour mongerer Mohammed Zubair.
Kaveri-Tungabhadra tahzeeb.. 🙏🤲 pic.twitter.com/WPnZmlnqX5
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) August 11, 2023
Meanwhile, the Congress machinery also had a gala time further amplifying the fake news. Sharing the false news, Congress wrote, “Amit Shah ji talks big on PFI and now his party is supporting its political wing.”
कर्नाटक में ग्राम पंचायत चुनाव में BJP ने SDPI को समर्थन दिया है।
— Congress (@INCIndia) August 11, 2023
PFI का पॉलिटिकल विंग है SDPI
अमित शाह जी PFI पर बड़ी-बड़ी बातें करते हैं और अब उनकी पार्टी उसके पॉलिटिकल विंग को समर्थन दे रही है।
गजब है। pic.twitter.com/zWq2bY5DYg
The entire Congress machinery went ahead to actively push the narrative that BJP has tied hands with SDPI, the political wing of PFI which it had banned.
BJP has backed SDPI. What is SDPI ?
— Aiyshwarya Mahadev | ಐಶ್ವರ್ಯ ಮಂಚನಹಳ್ಳಿ ಮಹದೇವ (@AiyshwaryaM) August 11, 2023
It is the political wing of PFI.
PFI is the same organisation which has been banned for unlawful activities !
PFI is the same organisation which was used by PM Modi to shame INDIA parties, just because the name 'India' is it its full form !… pic.twitter.com/jSQgywZ4vT
BJP’s social media in-charge Amit Malviya took to X (formerly Twitter), however, was quick to dismiss the Times Now report saying there are “no party symbols in Panchayat”.
“This is #FakeNews. To start with, there are no party symbols in Panchayat in Karnataka. So how can there be any alliance? Besides there is no question of supporting the SDPI. Period.,” Malviya wrote.
This is #FakeNews. To start with, there are no party symbols in Panchayat in Karnataka. So how can there be any alliance? Besides there is no question of supporting the SDPI. Period. https://t.co/gr8Y7J89qk
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 11, 2023
Karnataka BJP leader Tejasvi Surya also trashed the Times Now report which claimed that BJP is backing the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) candidate for the presidency of gram panchayat in the southern state. Alleging that the report is ‘fake news’ and saying that ‘Panchayats don’t take place on party lines’, Surya advised media to verify facts before publishing such news.
“This is fake news. Elections to Panchayats don’t take place on party lines. BJP has not supported SDPI or any other party in these elections. Media is advised to verify facts before publishing such news,” Surya wrote in his post on X.
This is fake news.
— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) August 11, 2023
Elections to Panchayats don’t take place on party lines.
BJP has not supported SDPI or any other party in these elections.
Media is advised to verify facts before publishing such news. https://t.co/er6CFqCyTU
According to this Times of India report, (the archive version of the report can be viewed here)T Ismail was elected president of Talapady gram panchayat in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district. He was elected with the backing of SDPI. The report says that Ismail was voted president with the support of members who were backed by the BJP.
Even as BJP-supported candidate Satyaraj had the upper hand, he was defeated after two “BJP-backed” members cross-voted in favour of Ismail. But Times Now in its full-frame breaking news plate wrote, “Surprise alliance in Karnataka. BJP backs SDPI in Gram Panchayat. SDPI elected Prez with BJP backing” giving the impression that there is a political alliance between BJP and SDPI instead of cross-voting, even as the anchor corrected the same by saying that only “some BJP workers had supported SDPI candidate.”
Besides members of the ruling party, Twitterati was also quick to fact-check Times Now and Zubair with the latter trolling another Twitter user @MrSinha, a Hindu rights activist, who called out the Islamist propagandist for spreading fake news.
Fake news alert!
— Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) August 11, 2023
First @TimesNow reported misleading news amplified by *renowned fact checker* @zoo_bear.
Truth is there's no party symbol in Panchayat elections in Karanataka.
The fact checker didn't even care to fact check it bcz it doesn't suit his agenda.
Share it! pic.twitter.com/nQHCFh7OiF
Two BJP members Fayaz and Muhammad have supported a candidate of SDPI instead of their own party's candidate. How does this becomes BJP supporting PFI? Many times your party members have cross voted for BJP. Does that become "Congress" supports BJP?
— THE SKIN DOCTOR (@theskindoctor13) August 11, 2023
On 10th August, Thursday, a Muslim member was elected president from a Sindhanur taluk in Raichur district prompting resignation by gram panchayat members who argued that the post should have been reserved for the general or OBC category.
The president’s post for this term was reserved for the general category. The members were angry that the reservation was not followed and a Muslim was made president alleging that some people were made to participate in the election on 3rd August owing to political pressure. A demand has now been raised urging re-election.
Notably, OpIndia spoke to Karnataka BJP leader Tejasvi Surya who said, “They aren’t BJP backed. They aren’t even members of the BJP. Panchayat elections don’t have party lines voting or even party symbols”
