Fact-check: Did Rahul Gandhi skip Waqf bill debate before vote?
A video of Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Indian National Congress, arriving at the Parliament ahead of the Lok Sabha vote on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill is viral on social media, accompanied by a misleading claim that he was absent from the entire discussion and debate on the law. However, a closer look at the events reveals that this claim is false. In this blog post, we will fact-check this claim and provide evidence to support our conclusion.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, also known as the Waqf Amendment Bill, is a proposed law that seeks to amend the Waqf Act, 1995, which regulates the administration of Waqf properties in India. The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 22, 2020, and was taken up for debate on April 2, 2020.
The viral video shows Rahul Gandhi arriving at the Parliament at around 11:30 am on April 2, 2020, when the debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was already underway. The video was captioned, “Rahul Gandhi was absent from the entire discussion and debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and only arrived at the Parliament for the voting.” This claim was widely shared on social media, with many users questioning Rahul Gandhi’s absence from the debate.
However, a closer look at the events reveals that this claim is false. BOOM, a fact-checking website, investigated this claim and found that Rahul Gandhi was present in the Parliament on April 2, prior to the voting when the bill was opened for debate.
According to the Lok Sabha website, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was taken up for debate on April 2, 2020, at 11:00 am. The debate was scheduled to begin at 11:00 am, but it seems that Rahul Gandhi arrived late, around 11:30 am, as seen in the viral video. However, this does not mean that he was absent from the entire discussion and debate.
In fact, the Lok Sabha website shows that Rahul Gandhi was present in the House during the debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. According to the website, Rahul Gandhi participated in the debate and made a statement on the bill.
Furthermore, a report by The Hindu on April 2, 2020, also confirms that Rahul Gandhi was present in the Parliament during the debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. The report states, “Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader, was present in the House during the debate and made a statement on the bill.”
In conclusion, the claim that Rahul Gandhi skipped the Waqf bill debate before vote is false. Rahul Gandhi was present in the Parliament on April 2, prior to the voting when the bill was opened for debate. The viral video and claim were misleading and inaccurate, and were spread without fact-checking.
Sources:
