By Anmol Alphonso
A set of two pictures, one showing Bal Thackeray's photo frame placed behind Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray during a recent Facebook live and another photo where that frame is missing is being shared with the false claim that it was only recently added - after the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government started facing a political crisis in Maharashtra.
BOOM found that late Bal Thackeray's photo frame has been present in CM Thackeray's Facebook lives dating back to January 2022 and has not been just added recently.
The MVA government is in a precarious position after Shiv Sena rebel leader Eknath Shinde along with a group of rebel Shiv Sena MLAs flew to Guwahati, Assam demanding that the Shiv Sena should break their alliance with the Congress and NCP and rejoin hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Also Read: Video Of Shiv Sena-NCP Workers Clashing Not Related To MVA Political Crisis
The set of photos was tweeted by Post Card with the caption, "At first there was no statute of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and photo frame of Bal Thackeray ji behind Uddhav. But now, we can find them. Mr Uddhav, people are well aware of your drama to gain sympathy"
BOOM has previously fact-checked misinformation posted by Post Card.
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The photo was also tweeted by Shefali Vaidya - a right wing columnist, in Marathi with the caption when translated reads, "For so many days where was Maharaj, saffron flag and photo of Tirtharupa kept @OfficeofUT? Now the government is falling it has been found?". BOOM has previously debunked misinformation tweeted by Vaidya.
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The same set of photos are being shared on Facebook with the false claim.
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Also Read: Sanjay Raut Crying To The Media? No, It's A Snapchat Filter
FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that late Bal Thackeray's photo frame can be seen several times in live videos streamed by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's Facebook page. Some of the videos from January 2022 also show the senior Thackeray's photo frame, predating the current political crisis and is not recently added to the CM's online addresses as being claimed.
We checked the Chief Minister's Office's official Facebook page from which Thackeray's addresses are broadcasted live and found that the first photo where Bal Thackeray's frame is not present has been taken from a live stream posted on April 13, 2021.
The background in this FB live and the outfit worn by Thackeray match the first photo.
We then checked for FB live video posted before June 2022, by the CMO Maharashtra page, Bal Thackeray's frame is present and found at least 11 videos where it is visible.
Click here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here to view all the CMO Maharashtra Facebook lives that have Bal Thackeray's photo frame from January 2022 to May 2022.
The oldest such video dates back to a Facebook live by CMO Maharashtra on January 25, 2022. Here the same photo frame of Bal Thackeray can be seen as in the Maharashtra CM's recent Facebook live streamed this month, since the MVA political crisis began.
Below is the Facebook live from January 25, 2022, here we can see the same photo frame and background.
A comparison of Uddhav Thackeray's recent Facebook live on June 22, 2022, and the Facebook live from January 25, 2022, shows that the photo frame is not a recent addition to the background in his address as being claimed.
