Video of Pankaj Tripathi criticising BJP found to be digitally edited with false claim

PTI, Dec 7, 2024, 8:19 AM IST

New Delhi: In the run up to the Delhi Assembly polls slated for early next year, a video has been widely shared on social media, especially by various units of AAP, showing Bollywood actor Pankaj Tripathi portraying a peanut seller purportedly appealing to people ‘not to vote for BJP’.

The PTI Fact Check Desk found in its investigation found the video to be an edited one. The original video is part of the National Payments Corporation of India’s (NPCI) “Main Moorkh Nahin Hoon” campaign, in the actor educates people about online fraud.

The 30-second purported video was shared on December 5 from the official account of ‘Aam Aadmi Party – Uttar Pradesh’ on the social media platform X with the caption reading, “Tell BJP folks—I am not a fool.” Several other users, including different units of the Aam Aadmi Party, also shared the video with the same claim.

In the video Tripathi allegedly says, “I sell peanuts, not my intellect. Look at this message. BJP people sent it, saying, ‘Vote for us, and we’ll bring development.’ Do they think I don’t know? If we vote for them, public funds will vanish. I may be a peanut seller, but I am no fool. Remember, if BJP folks offer you any bait, tell them — I am not a fool.” To verify the claim, the Fact Check Desk reverse-searched the video’s keyframes. The original video was found on the official X account of ‘UPI NPCI,’ was shared on September 23, 2024, with the hashtag “Main Moorkh Nahin Hoon.”

In the original video, the actor portrayed a peanut seller, warns against online fraud saying, “I sell peanuts, not my intellect. Look at this message. It says you’ve won a lottery; click the link and enter your UPI PIN to claim the money. Do they think I don’t know? The moment you enter your UPI PIN, your money vanishes. I may be a peanut seller, but I am no fool. Remember, UPI says, if anyone lures you, say—‘Main Moorkh Nahin Hoon.’” It is evident that the video altered the original dialogues to add a political narrative.

The Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also labelled the video as fake, sharing the original clip and accusing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of spreading misinformation.

NPCI recently launched the “Main Moorkh Nahin Hoon” campaign to promote digital payment safety.

As part of the campaign, Pankaj Tripathi appears in six ad films portraying different characters, raising awareness about online fraud prevention.

The PTI Fact Check Desk confirms that the video was manipulated to include a political context and is being circulated on social media with false claims.