By Hazel Gandhi
A video showing Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supporters setting fire to a photo of N Chandrababu Naidu, the party leader, is viral online with the false claim that it shows the people of Andhra Pradesh protesting against Naidu for forming a government with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following the Lok Sabha elections.
The Lok Sabha elections concluded on June 4, 2024, and Chandrababu Naidu's TDP emerged as the winner from Andhra Pradesh by clinching a majority in 16 out of the 25 seats. The incumbent YSRCP trailed with only 4 seats, and the BJP secured 3 seats. Following this, Chandrababu Naidu confirmed his support to the BJP amid speculation about whether he would continue his alliance with the party or join the opposition's INDIA bloc.
The viral video claims to show the people of Andhra Pradesh opposing this decision of Naidu's and destroying TDP's office in the state. The caption reads, "Big Breaking. Angry people of Andhra Pradesh are burning photos of Chandrababu Naidu for supporting Modi. Naidu needs to reconsider this before oath-taking."
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
The video is also being shared on Facebook with the same claim.
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
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FACT CHECK
BOOM found that the video is from March 2024 and was taken before the Lok Sabha elections began. It shows TDP supporters vandalising the party office over strong dissatisfaction over the selection of candidates for the assembly elections, and has nothing to do with the party's potential alliance with the BJP.
A reverse image search of some key frames from the viral video on Google led us to a Facebook post from March 29, 2024 that carried the viral video. The post was shared with a Telugu caption, "Fire in Guntakal TDP"
Click here for an archive.
Taking a cue from this caption, we ran a keyword search on Google and found a report published by The Hindu on March 29, 2024. The report was titled 'TDP offices ransacked in Anantapur and Guntakal' and carried details of how TDP supporters vandalised party offices in these areas over the selection of MLAs.
A video of the same incident taken from a different angle was shared by ABP Live Telugu on the same day.
The Telugu text with the video read, "Guntakal ticket to Gummanur.. Destruction of TDP leaders.!"
A banner in the background of this video by ABP Live Telugu and the viral video were an exact match. Below is a comparison:
Samayam Telugu also carried the viral video on March 29 with the title 'Guntakal TDP leaders burned Chandrababu photo'.
According to RTV Live, supporters of TDP's Jitender Goud stormed the party office in Guntakal, damaged proterty, and set fire to a photo of Chandrababu Naidu after the party announced Gummanur Jayaram as their candidate from the seat for the state elections in Andhra Pradesh. A similar incident of vandalism by TDP cadre was also reported in Anantapur at that time, according to news reports.
Gummanur Jayaram ended up winning from Guntakal by 6,826 votes.
