Fact Check: Modi did not bow before Adani's wife
Vishwaguru (Indian PM) bowing down to Adani's wife… We think he is our PM but are not understanding that he is an employee of the Ambani and Adani families
An image of Indian PM Narendra Modi bowing in front of a woman and greeting her with folded hands is in circulation with the narrative that she is Preeti Adani, wife of Gowtham Adani.
The caption on the image, in Telugu claims "అదాని సతీమణి కి వంగి వంగి దం
When translated, the caption reads: "Vishwaguru (Indian PM) bowing down to Adani's wife… We think he is our PM but are not understanding that he is an employee of the Ambani and Adani families."
This claim was viral in 2020 in English and Hindi languages and it was debunked by several fact check organisations. Now, this claim is viral in Telugu.
Fact check:
The claim that the viral image shows Modi bowing down in front of Adani's wife is FALSE. The woman seen in the image is not Preeti Adani, Gowtham Adani's wife. She is Deepika Mondol, Chief Functionary Officer of an NGO, Divya Jyoti Foundation.
When we searched for the image using Google reverse image search, we found that the image was published in an article of Hindi daily, Amar Ujala, along with other images of her along with celebrities like Amitabh Bacchan, etc.
We also found another article on a Marathi website, Dainik Divya Marathi.
These two articles talk about why Indian Prime Minister Modi is bowing down and greeting the woman and who that woman is. Both the articles explain that the woman's name is Deepika Mondol and that the photo was taken in 2015. She is the chief functional officer of an NGO – Divya Jyoti Cultural Organisation and Welfare Society, which promotes Indian art and culture.
A YouTube channel, ANA TV, published an interview of Deepika Mondol on August 24, 2018. The title of the video in Hindi states: "बदलता भारत –एक महिला जिसके आगे भारत के प्रधानमंत्री को झुका
When translated, it states: "India Changing – A woman before whom the Prime Minister of India had to bow her head, you will be stunned on knowing about her."
The viral image was also shared in the middle of the interview, confirming it is Deepika Mondol that is seen in this image.
The website of the NGO also states that Deepika Mondol is the Chief Functional Officer of the organisation.
When we searched the website of the NGO, we found a few images of Ms Mondol which match with the woman in the viral image.
http://www.dcosws.org/gallery.
Therefore, the woman seen in the viral image is NOT Adani's wife, she is CFO of an NGO.