Claim
Rating
Explanation
A photograph of Narendra Modi with another person taken in Germany is shared with the claim that the other person in the photo is Amit Shah. This claim is viral on social media platforms including Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
This image was shared earlier by Ram Gopal Varma on his Twitter page which gained 30.8k likes and still counting.
What is the truth?
When searching the image with Google lens, the Hindustan Times Youtube channel is found with a video carrying the viral image in it. The video dated 4, May 2022 is titled: PM Modi’s 30-yr-old photo in Germany goes viral amid Europe tour; triggers ‘then and now’ comparison.
The description part says “As PM Modi concluded his Germany tour, an image of him visiting the nation nearly 30 years ago went viral on social media. It shows a young PM Modi and one of his colleagues standing before the statue of Charlemagne. The image was reportedly taken in 1993 in Frankfurt where he had a brief halt while returning from the U.S. to India. During that time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was only a BJP worker. The viral image triggered a ‘Then and Now’ trend on social media.”
The same information is relayed in an NDTV article dated 4, May 2022. It also generally mentioned the other person as one of Modi’s colleagues and did not identify the person.
A Twitter user ‘Sandeep Jain Tradeswift’ posted this image on 12, July 2022 asking fellow users to guess the duo for which another user ‘CA Shubham Bondia’ commented that it is Dr. Sanjivbhai Ojha from Rajkot.
Reportedly Not Amit Shah, he is Dr Sanjivbhai Ojha from Rajkot. Who is said to be current or former Sanjhchalak of Rajkot vibhag of RSS
— CA Shubham Bondia (@shubhambondia) July 12, 2022
Naveen Kapoor tweeted the image on 2, May 2022. This tweet was also quoted in the above-mentioned NDTV article. One of the comments on this post by Shivesh Kumar also says that it is Sanjovbhai Ojha. And a few other comments on the post with the viral image also quoted him as Sanjiv Oza which can be seen here, here, and here.
He’s sanjivbhai ojha ji. From Gujarat. Avbp and ayurveda doc
— SHIVESH KUMAR🇮🇳 (@Simran30_mki) May 2, 2022
When searching Sanjiv Oza’s Facebook page, it is found that he posted the screenshot of Naveen Kapoor’s tweet of the image on the same date 2, May 2022 with the caption translated as ‘Oza 2, May 1993’. He also shared the photo on 17, September 2022 to convey his birthday wishes to Modi.
Sanjiv Oza is notably an active member of RSS and Ex Vice-chancellor of Gujarat Ayurved University, reported the Times of India.
Conclusion
It is found that the other person with Modi in the photo taken in Germany in 1993 is not Amit Shah but Sanjiv Oza.
