Fact Check: Viral image showing Rahul Gandhi joining farmers’ protest on a tractor is not recent

Indian farmers are protesting against the Centre seeking guarantees, backed by legislation, of more state support or a minimum support price (MSP) for crops. After repealing the three contentious farm laws in 2021, the government had promised to set up a panel to ensure support prices for all produce. Accusing the Centre of going slow in fulfilling its promises, thousands of farmers have launched a massive protest to press their demand of MSP for all their crops.

Amid farmers' protest, reports emerged that Rahul Gandhi would participate in the ongoing demonstrations against the Centre. Rahul has questioned Centre’s intentions for not accepting farmers' demands for a law on MSP for their produce. In this backdrop, a video is being widely shared on social media with a claim that the Congress leader drove to the protest site on a tractor. The viral image is being shared with a caption: “Rahul Gandhi joins Farmers Protest In Delhi, Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra In Jharkhand CANCELLED.”

Fact Check:

After careful observation of different media reports, we found that the claim is False.

If you observe the photographs carefully, all the persons in the photograph, along with Rahul are wearing mask, which one used during the pandemic period. Hence, this photograph may not have been taken recently.

While doing Google reverse image search, we found this photograph was shared by Rahul Gandhi on both of his official Facebook & Twitter account on July 26, 2021 with a caption:

“अगर खेत बेचने पर मजबूर करोगे, तो ट्रैक्टर संसद में चलेगा- सत्य की फ़सल उगाकर रहेंगे ! कृषि-विरोधी क़ानून वापस लो। #FarmersProtest

When translated, the caption reads: “If you force the farmers to sell away their agricultural lands, they will come to the Parliament in tractors and grow the fields of Truth there. Withdraw the anti-farmer policies.”

With the same caption, we searched on the internet and found so many posts posted in the same year (2021).

Rahul Gupta , who is the working president in Amethi for INC Uttar Pradesh, posted the same video which was shot from a different angle on his X account on July 26, 2021, with the following caption:

जब कृषि सुधार बिलों का विरोध करते हुए टैक्टर चलाकर संसद पहुंचे श्री @RahulGandhi ,

"अगर खेत बेचने पर मजबूर करोगे, तो ट्रैक्टर संसद में चलेगा- सत्य की फ़सल उगाकर रहेंगे! कृषि-विरोधी क़ानून वापस लो - राहुल गांधी जी

Palghar Kisan Congress also shared the same photo on their official Twitter account.

When we searched with the keywords ‘Rahul Gandhi on tractor’, we found different news agencies also published reports about the news.

As per an article published in Times of India, “Rahul Gandhi drives tractor to Parliament, protests government’s 'black' farm laws”.

Dainik Nava Jyoti News Portal published a news report with the title: “ट्रैक्टर चलाकर संसद के गेट पर पहुंचे राहुल गांधी ने की नए कृषि कानूनों को वापस लेने की मांग, हिरासत में लिए गए कई कांग्रेसी नेता

Basing on the above evidence and different media reports, we found that this picture was not taken this year and is not related to the ongoing farmers’ protest.