Fact Check: Modi did not criticize Indian President Murmu about her skin color

Several videos with false claims are being shared on various social media platforms in connection with the 2024 general elections. A 15-second video circulating on social media claims that BJP leader Narendra Modi is criticizing Honorable President Draupadi Murmu's skin color.

User from different social media platform shared the video with the claim “murkh modi ko rastropati ko sanman dena gyan nehi hai”

Fact Check: We found the claim is false, the video was edited and shared on social media. In the original video, we heard Modi criticize former Indian Overseas Congress member Mr. Sam Pitroda for making a racist statement about skin color.

When we searched “Narendra Modi statement on Honorable President Draupadi skin color” we found on May 9, 2024, The Times of India published an article with a headline “Skin colour stopped Cong from voting for Droupadi Murmu as president: PM”

At the top of the article, it is clearly mentioned that “Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress of being racist during his public meeting in Karimnagar on Wednesday. He used Sam Pitroda's recent remarks on skin colour to say that the Congress did not vote for Droupadi Murmu as president because she was dark-skinned.”

In the end of the article, TOI also mentioned: “Pitroda had spoken on the diversity of people in India while giving an interview to The Statesman recently and said, People on East look like Chinese, people on West look like Arab, people on North look like maybe White and people in South look like Africa."

We found a photograph published in the TOI article with the caption “BJP supporters during PM Narendra Modi's meeting in Warangal.”

When we searched PM Narendra Modi in Warangal, we found a live stream on Narendra Modi official YouTube Channel.

At 43.56 time stamp we found Modi statement “why Congress didn't vote for President Murmu?”

Also, during the speech, Modi criticized the statement on skin color given by Sam Pitroda.

At 45.06 time stamp, we found the original speech that went viral on social media.

During the search, we also found a BJP press release

As per the article published by The South First “PM Modi’s bizarre claim: Congress opposed Droupadi Murmu as President because of her skin colour”

Hence it is clear that, the video has been edited & being circulated with a false claim. In the original video, Narendra Modi was actually criticizing the racist statement given by Sam Pitroda about skin color.