Did Mallikarjun Kharge Say 'Congress Is Finished'? A Fact Check

A video circulating on social media claims that Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said that "the party is over" during a 2024 Lok Sabha election rally. In the video, Mr Kharge says in Hindi, "Congress is finished. Congress is dead. And now you can't see Congress anywhere."

The posts sharing this video claim that Mallikarjun Kharge admitted Congress has been disbanded and is no longer functioning. Archived versions of similar posts can be viewed here and here.

Screenshot of viral posts shared on social media (Source: Instagram/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, our investigation reveals that Mr Kharge's video was edited and shared with a misleading narrative. The original video shows him quoting remarks by Congress critics in Ahmedabad.

What did we find?

A reverse image search of a screenshot from the viral clip led us to a YouTube video live-streamed on the official channel of the Indian National Congress (archived here) on May 2, 2024. In the video, Mr Kharge is speaking at an election rally in Ahmedabad.

At the 12:04 timestamp, he discusses Ahmedabad and says, "Ahmedabad is one such big and famous city. Mahatma Gandhi ji, Sardar Patel ji, Dadabhai Naroji, and many more great leaders were born here. They made Gujarat great. Gandhi ji and Sardar Patel, Bhulabhai Desai, Vithalbhai Patel, and the Speaker of our Lok Sabha, Mavalankar ji - all the leaders have built the country, and among them, three members became the presidents of our Congress party - Sardar Patel, Mahatma Gandhi ji, UN Dhebar - all of them held the position of party president and strengthened it."

He then says, "So, I want to say, the foundation of the Congress party in Ahmedabad city is very strong. No one can remove it, and no one can dare to say that we will finish the Congress. Few people say, 'Congress is finished, Congress is dead, and Congress will not be seen anywhere for you' - the leaders here say this. I only want to ask them this: this Ahmedabad city is Mahatma Gandhi ji's holy place. But it is surprising that in this land, people with such ideology are born who are thinking about finishing Gandhi ji's ideology."

The part of the speech highlighted in bold above has now been selectively edited and circulated with a misleading narrative, alleging that Mr Kharge said the 'Congress party is finished'.

Logically Facts debunked several such election rally videos shared out of context. Our checks can be found here, here, and here.

The Verdict

The viral video falsely portrays Mallikarjun Kharge as saying that Congress is "over" during an election rally in Ahmedabad. In reality, he was quoting critics who claim the party is "finished." As a result, the claim has been marked as misleading.

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"Non-Recovery Of Cash Can't Be...": High Court In Manish Sisodia Hearing

Non-recovery of cash cannot be a prima facie proof that no corruption has taken place as the offender's mind uses new technology to commit offences without leaving behind any trace, the Delhi High Court has held while denying bail to AAP leader Manish Sisodia in the excise policy scam cases.

The high court said it cannot accept the argument put forth by Mr Sisodia about the non-recovery of cash from him in view of the statements of some hawala dealers and other witnesses recorded during the investigation.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma dismissed the bail pleas filed by the former Delhi deputy chief minister in the corruption and money laundering cases lodged by the CBI and ED, respectively, in connection with the alleged liquor scam.

While the two petitions were dismissed on Tuesday, the detailed order was uploaded on the high court's website on Wednesday.

“This court is of the view that the prosecution has made out a prima facie case of commission of money laundering under Section 3 of PMLA against Manish Sisodia, at this stage. It is to be noted at the outset that the requirement of recovery of cash amount from a particular person may not necessarily be a mandatory requirement in a money laundering case where the allegations are of being part of a conspiracy consisting of multiple accused persons,” the high court said.

“In this court's opinion, non-recovery of any amount of money in cash cannot be a proof prima facie that no corruption has taken place since the offender‘s mind uses the new technology to commit offences without leaving traces of commission of offences,” it said.

The court observed that the case involves commission of "serious offence" of corruption in public office and money laundering.

These offences "strike at the heart of our economic and social systems, undermining the rule of law and eroding public trust in our institutions", it said.

“Moreover, the form of corruption which has the tendency of stealing the legitimate resources of the poor ordinary people and giving it to the rich can be one of the worst forms of corruption,” the high court said in a 106-page judgment.

The court said small and medium-sized enterprises, which are managed by common people and are the backbone of economic growth and job creation, are particularly vulnerable to the detrimental impacts of corruption that is prima facie visible in the formulation of the new excise policy.

It said the new excise policy has “eradicated” the common and small-time businesses and gave the entire playing field in the liquor business to those who had “money, power and had created a cartel” on the basis of financial gains to those formulating a policy, which adds to the seriousness of the offence.

“The courts of law may be considered as constant thorns in the way of free-flowing corruption and, even if that be so and are termed as thorns, it scores the victory for the masses,” Justice Sharma said.

The high court observed in its order that the matter involved grave misuse of power and breach of public trust by Mr Sisodia.

The AAP leader's conduct amounted to a "great betrayal of democratic principles", the court said, adding he allegedly indulged in destruction of crucial evidence, including electronic evidence.

It said Mr Sisodia was a very influential person within the power corridors of the Delhi government as he had the responsibility of 18 portfolios in the city dispensation.

The former deputy chief minister had challenged a trial court's April 30 order by which his bail pleas were rejected in the corruption and money laundering cases lodged by the CBI and ED, respectively, in connection with alleged irregularities in the formulation and execution of the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2021-22.

While seeking bail for Mr Sisodia, his counsel had submitted before the high court that the ED and CBI are still arresting people in the money laundering and corruption cases, and there is no question of early conclusion of the trial.

Both the ED and CBI opposed Mr Sisodia's bail pleas on grounds that concerted efforts were made by the accused to delay the process of framing charges.

Mr Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26, 2023, for his alleged role in the liquor "scam". The ED arrested him in the money laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9, 2023.

He resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023.

The probe agencies have alleged that the beneficiaries diverted "illegal" gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection.

According to the probe agencies, irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy and undue favours were extended to the licence holders.

The Delhi government implemented the policy on November 17, 2021, but scrapped it at the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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England vs Pakistan 1st T20I Live Score Updates: Will Rain Play Spoilsport?

England vs Pakistan 1st T20I, Live Updates: England will be taking on Pakistan in the 1st T20I of the four-match series on Wednesday in Leeds. Pakistan will be coming to clash after winning the three-match T20I series against Ireland by 2-1 scoreline. Babar Azam and co have released pacer Hasan Ali from the squad, seeing the fitness of Haris Rauf. On the other hand, England will be playing without Liam Livingstone, who is recovering from his knee injury. Apart from this, the likes of Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Phil Salt, Sam Curran, and others have joined the England squad, coming from IPL. (Live Scorecard) 

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Sanjay Dutt Quits Akshay Kumar's Welcome 3 Due To Health Issues: Report

Sanjay Dutt has reportedly quit Akshay Kumar's Welcome 3 due to health issues. According to a Pinkvilla report, the actor had shot only one day for the film. Pinkvilla quoted a source stating, "The actor had shot for the film headlined by Akshay Kumar for only one day in Madh Island." The souce added, "His character had a lot of action in the movie, and hence, he decided to walk out considering his health issues." Sanjay Dutt joined the shoot of Welcome 3 last December.

Welcoming Sanjay Dutt onboard, Akshay Kumar shared a reel on his Instagram. In the reel, we can see Akshay Kumar riding on a horse while Sanjay Dutt follows him on a bike. Incidentally, the first film of the Welcome franchise, Welcome, completed 16 years on that very day. Mentioning that, Akshay Kumar wrote in the caption, "What a lovely coincidence that we celebrate 16 years of Welcome today while I am shooting for the franchise's third part WelcomeToTheJungle. And it's wonderful to welcome Sanju Baba in this one. What do you think?" Take a look:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar)

FYI, Sanjay Dutt is a cancer survivor. In October 2020, Sanjay Dutt shared that he was cancer free. Sharing a tweet, he said, "My heart is filled with gratitude as I share this news with all of you today. Thank you."  In the post, he said, "And today, on the occasion of my kids' birthday, I am happy to come out victorious from this battle and be able to give them the best gift I can- the health and well-being of our family." Take a look:

My heart is filled with gratitude as I share this news with all of you today. Thank you 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/81sGvWWpoe

— Sanjay Dutt (@duttsanjay) October 21, 2020

Welcome 3 has a huge cast. The film stars Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Jacqueline Fernandez, Disha Patani, Suniel Shetty, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Krushna Abhishek, to name a few. Ahmed Khan is directing the film.

Welcome released in 2007. Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar headlined the film. Anees Bazmee directed the film.

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"Most Heart-Breaking Photo": SRH Batter's Distraught Reaction vs KKR

Mitchell Starc stuck thrice in the powerplay as Kolkata Knight Riders bowled out Sunrisers Hyderabad to 159 in Qualifier 1 of the IPL here on Tuesday. Rahul Tripathi top-scored for SRH with 55 off 35 balls while Heinrich Klaasen smashed 32 off 21 balls. The 62-run stand between Tripathi and Klaasen was the lone positive in an otherwise underwhelming batting effort.

Tripathi was run out after a superb effort by Andre Russell. HIs reaction after getting out has gone viral.

Well Played Champ Rahul Tripathi.
Not only survived the fiery spell of Starc but also took us back into the game from nowhere. pic.twitter.com/VDzdEBvTVv

— Rampy (@RiserTweex) May 21, 2024

MOST HEARTBREAKING PICTURE OF THE DAY.

- Rahul Tripathi sitting in tears on the stairs. He's absolutely devastated. You gave your best, Tripathi! pic.twitter.com/bV1nhkzcjs

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 21, 2024

Rahul Tripathi in tears after getting out...!!! pic.twitter.com/WrUbDpQCZe

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 21, 2024

Tripathi pic.twitter.com/Z3jOqcXWvA

— Pushkar (@musafir_hu_yar) May 21, 2024

IPL's third highest run-getter Head was all over the place when he went for a wild heave against the lanky Australian, who got the ball nipping slightly away after pitching and knocking down the off and middle stumps to dismiss the batter for his second consecutive duck.

Starc then bounced out Reddy with wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz settling himself well under the ball for a simple grab.

Shahbaz was the next to depart as he chopped one onto his wickets looking to guide it down to the third man.

Starc's opening spell of 3-0-22-3 gave KKR complete control of the proceedings as the other bowlers thrived in the situation to drive home the advantage.

Reduced to 39/3, SRH needed a counterattack and that came from Rahul Tripathi (55 off 35) but it was far from enough.

Tripathi soaked in pressure well to keep the boundaries flowing for SRH but he did not find enough support from the other end, beyond a 62-run stand for the fifth wicket with Heinrich Klaasen.

The burly South African, who had scored a vital 49 in the last match, did not go all out but played a crucial knock of 32, which came off 21 balls with three fours and a six until he found the man at deep midwicket off Varun Chakravarthy in the 11th over.

Facing the task of rebuilding again, there was no respite for the struggles that SRH had to endure when Tripathi was run out after a brilliant effort in the field from Andre Russell caught the SRH batter halfway through the pitch when there was perhaps no run on offer.

Abdul Samad hammered a six off his first ball but his resistance too did not last long enough and the last of the recognised SRH batters, impact player Sanvir Singh, was cleaned up by Sunil Narine (1/40) on the first ball he faced.

SRH skipper Pat Cummins played a crucial knock of 30 off 24 while also putting on a vital 33-run stand for the last wicket with Vijayakanth Viyaskanth to take SRH beyond the 150-mark.

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Scrap Bail, Give Maximum Punishment To Teen: Pune Porshe Victim's Family

The family of 25-year-old Ashwini Koshta is still in shock, The body of the young woman, who was mowed down by a drunk teen in Pune on a speeding Porsche, was brought to her home in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, today. Ashwini was one of the two persons hit by the vehicle at 2.15 am on Saturday. Her colleague Aneesh Awadhiya also died on the spot. Both were engineers from Madhya Pradesh, working in Pune.

The teen who was at the wheel, son of a prominent realtor from the city, secured bail 15 hours after his arrest. He is just four months short of 18 years -- the minimum age required to legally drive a car.

His lawyer said he has been asked to work with the traffic police of Yerawada for 15 days, and would undergo psychiatric counselling. He has been referred to an alcohol de-addiction centre -- a decision of the Juvenile Board that has sparked massive anger.

Ashwini's family said they are dismayed by the bail conditions and are ready to fight at every level to get her justice.

"We are in shock," said her uncle Jugal Kishor Koshta. "It is condemnable that he should get bail in 15 hours. He and his parents should be investigated. We will discuss the matter once Ashwini's last rites are over tomorrow," he added.  Asked if there was a possibility of political pressure in the case, he said it is "quite possible and elections are on anyway".

"We want his bail cancelled and he remain in police custody. Because of him, an innocent girl, who has seen nothing of life, died," said her uncle Sachin Bokde.  

Ashwini's father, Suresh Kumar Koshta, works as an office assistant in the state's electricity department. One of his sons, Samprit Koshta, is a software engineer in Bengaluru.

A software engineer, Ashwini was living in Pune for the last two years. Her last appointment was with Amazon. A year ago, she switched jobs and joined Johnson Controls Company.

Early on Sunday, Ashwini was on way back home with her colleague after dinner, when the accident took place. The minor at the wheels was out celebrating his Class 12 exam results. He was driving at 200 kmph when the Porsche hit the bike of the two engineers.
 
Eyewitnesses said Ashwini was thrown about 20 feet in the air, Aneesh was also thrown and hit a parked car. Both died on the spot.

The teen got bail in record time. The police said efforts are on to try him as an adult. A case has been filed against his father. The pub that served him alcohol will be charged as well, the police have said. The minimum legal age for drinking in India is 25 years.

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UK's Infected Blood Scandal That Killed 3,000 Was Covered Up: Report

A decades-long UK scandal in which thousands of people died after being treated with infected blood was covered up and largely could have been avoided, according to a bombshell report published Monday.

More than 30,000 people were infected with viruses such as HIV and hepatitis after being given contaminated blood in Britain between the 1970s and early 1990s, the Infected Blood Inquiry concluded.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday said he was "truly sorry" for the decades-long institutional cover-up that saw thousands of people receive infected blood products. "I want to make a wholehearted and unequivocal apology for this terrible injustice," he told MPs, promising to pay "whatever it costs" to compensate those affected and the families of victims who died.

Victims included those needing blood transfusions for accidents and in surgery, and those suffering from blood disorders such as haemophilia who were treated with donated blood plasma products.

Some 3,000 of them died, and more will follow, in what has been described as the biggest treatment disaster in the eight-decade history of the state-run National Health Service (NHS).

In some instances, children with bleeding disorders were treated as "objects for research". Many went on to develop and die from HIV and hepatitis.

The long-awaited report, running to more than 2,500 pages, laid bare a "catalogue of failures" with "catastrophic" consequences for victims and their loved ones.

"I have to report that it could largely, though not entirely, have been avoided," concluded its author, judge Brian Langstaff.

His team found that successive governments and health professionals failed to mitigate risks despite it being apparent by the early 1980s that the cause of AIDS could be transmitted by blood.

Blood donors were not screened properly and blood products were imported from abroad, including from the United States where drug users and prisoners were used for donations.

Too many transfusions were also given when they were not necessarily needed, the report added.

There were even attempts to conceal the scandal, including evidence that officials in the health department destroyed documents in 1993.

"Viewing the response of the NHS and of government overall, the answer to the question, 'Was there a cover-up?' is that there has been," the report stated.

"Not in the sense of a handful of people plotting in an orchestrated conspiracy to mislead, but in a way that was more subtle, more pervasive and more chilling in its implications.

- 'Vindicated' -

"In this way there has been a hiding of much of the truth," it added.

On top of the 3,000 who died, many more were left with lifelong health problems.

Langstaff said that "the scale of what happened is horrifying" and said people's suffering had been compounded by repeated denials and false assurances that they had received good treatment.

When victims were told the truth, sometimes years later, this was sometimes done in "insensitive" and "inappropriate" ways.

"What I have found is that disaster was no accident. People put their trust in doctors and the government to keep them safe and that trust was betrayed," Langstaff told reporters.

He recommended that victims now received compensation. The government is expected to announced a package worth about 10 billion pounds (12 billion dollars) on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to express regret when he speaks in parliament later on Monday.

Speaking ahead of the inquiry, a government spokesman said: "This was an appalling tragedy that never should have happened. We are clear that justice needs to be done and swiftly."

Former prime minister Theresa May launched the inquiry -- one of the country's largest -- in 2017.

Campaigners hailed the report as the culmination of a decades-long struggle but noted that it came too late for many of the victims who will never see justice.

Andy Evans, chairman of the Tainted Blood campaign group, described the report as "momentous" and that he felt "validated and vindicated".

"We have been gaslit for generations... Sometimes we felt like we were shouting into the wind during the last 40 years," he told reporters.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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