Fact Check: Karnataka Congress leader MB Patil did not write letter to Sonia Gandhi

The Bijapur Lingayat District Educational Association (BLDEA) president and Congress leader M B Patil is a prominent Lingayat leader for the congress. Though traditionally aligned with the BJP party, the Lingayat community showed support to the Congress during the 2023 Assembly elections.

An image looking like a letter is in circulation with the claim that the BLDEA president M B Patil has written it to Sonia Gandhi to adapt ‘divide Hindus and unite Muslims’ policy to win elections in Karnataka. The old letter is written on the letterhead of BLDE Association, addressing Sonia Gandhi and is dated 10/7/2017.

The letter claims that M B Patil, along with other ministers, held comprehensive discussion with representatives from the Global Christian Council and the World Islamic Organisation regarding the strategy to be implemented for the 2018 Assembly elections in Karnataka.

The letter is in circulation in May 2024 with the caption “Look carefully what extent Congress can go to meanness. Karnataka Congress minister M B Patil has clearly written in his letter to Sonia Gandhi That If you want to defeat BJP Then Divide the Hindus & to do this. Help was taken from Global Christian Council & World Islamic Org.”

Fact Check:

The claim is False. The letter in circulation is Fake.

When we searched using keywords BLDE association MB Patil letter to Sonia Gandhi, we found a few news reports stating that it is a fake letter.

According to Times of India report published in April 2019, State home minister MB Patil filed a police complaint over a letter that falsely alleged Congress election strategy to divide Hindus on caste lines. Patil said the letter which was attributed to him and shown to be written at the height of the movement for a separate Lingayat identity in 2017 -2018 was clearly fake and demanded action against those behind it.

Karnataka minister M B Patil also took to his social media accounts and shared the viral letter in April 2019 stating that the letter is FAKE. ‘I will be initiating legal action for forgery against those who produced and published it. BJP's desperation is evident. They are wholly relying on fake letters because they have lost the support of people.’ In his posts, he shared the real letterhead of BLDEA also which is quite different from the viral letter.

Therefore, the viral letter is fake, not written by the BLDEA present and minister of Karnataka Government M B Patil to Sonia Gandhi to play ‘division politics’ on the Hindus and take help of Christians and Muslims. The claim is False.