No, The Irish Times did not say Modi has transformed India for the better.
The Irish Times merely published a letter from Indian Ambassador to Ireland which he wrote refuting the news outlets attack on the politics of the BJP.
Claim
Modi has transformed India for the better
https://irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/2023/08/21/modi-has-transformed-india-for-the-better/… via NaMo App
Modi has transformed India for the better
https://t.co/okFXtIYNqDvia NaMo App pic.twitter.com/G4surs5nsm
— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) August 21, 2023
Rating
Explanation
In the viral post shared by the National President of the BJP Mahila Morcha, Smriti Irani on her X account stated “Modi has transformed India for the better” along with the image of Modi walking on a red carpet with many flags arranged on the side. The important thing is this tweet was shared with a link from “The Irish Times” with the message via the NaMo App. The same tweet was then repeatedly shared by many BJP party members with the same message which can be seen here, here, here and here. Come, let’s check the authenticity of this viral tweet along with the link.
What’s the truth?
When we clicked the link in the post made by Smriti Irani, we found out that it was a reproduction of a letter written by Akhilesh Mishra, the Ambassador of India to Ireland. The letter was addressed to the Editor of The Irish Times. It was published under the letters section of The Irish Times and it starts off as letter.
On 14 August 2023, The Irish Times published an Editorial “The Irish Times view on ethnic violence in India: Modi’s government is fanning the flames.” The article accused BJP’s polarising politics of Hindu Supremacy, Xenophobia and religious hatred.
It is for this article, Indian Ambassador to Ireland wrote to news outlet refuting the accusations made against them, which is published in their website. The funny thing is, this letter was used by almost all the BJP party members especially several ministers like Smriti Irani, Som Prakash and Meenakshi Lekhi with false claims that the foreign media is praising PM Modi.
Conclusion:
No, The Irish Times did not write an article claiming that PM Modi had transformed India. It has merely published a letter written by Indian Ambassador to Ireland to the news outlet with that title. Earlier, The Irish Times had published an article which was a scathing attack on the BJP and its politics.
