A photo of Congress leader and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, along with a woman and three children, was recently shared on social media with users claiming that they were his wife and children, and the picture was clicked during a trip. The users also identified the woman as one Jonita Vinci and two of the kids as Nohak and Minak.
However, the PTI Fact Check Desk’s investigation found that the photo dated back to 2022, and the individuals accompanying Gandhi were children of Priyanka Nandwana, president of Mahila Congress in Rajasthan’s Baran district. Gandhi, during his Bharat Jodo Yatra, met them after Kamakshi – the eldest daughter of Priyanka – expressed her desire to meet him, and also took them on a helicopter ride. The three-year-old old photo was shared on social media as recent with false claims.
Claim:
A Facebook user shared on January 7 a photo claiming that it showed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with his wife and children, while on a trip.
The caption of the post read: “Raul Vinci on tour with his wife Jonita Vinci, son Nohak Vinci, daughter Minak Vinci? This same Rahul Vinci calls Hindus violent animals and the foolish people of India want him to become the Prime Minister. Lies are spread in the whole country. I am a young bachelor leader but he has connections with foreign countries. His wife’s father is a drug dealer.”
Here is the link and archive link to the post, and below is a screenshot of the same.
Investigation
The Desk conducted a ran the image through Google Lens and found that the same photo with a similar claim was shared in August 2024. One such post can be found here and its archived version can be viewed here. Below is a screenshot of the same.
On further scanning the search results, we came across a report by Rajasthan Tak which mentioned that Rahul Gandhi met these children from the Nandwana family in Bundi, Rajasthan, and gave them a helicopter ride.
Here is the link to the report and below is a screenshot of the same.
The viral photo had a striking similarity to the pictures shared in the news report. Below is a combination image highlighting the same.
The report carried other photos from the meeting, which can be seen in the collage below:
The third photo shows Priyanka Nandwana.
Taking cue from this, the Desk conducted a customised keyword search on Google and found a report by ABP Live, dated December 9, 2022. The headline of the report read: “Rajasthan News: Rahul Gandhi fulfilled the promise made to three girl students in 10 days, know here”. Additionally, the cover picture of the report was similar the viral photo being shared on social media.
Here is the link to the report and below is a screenshot of the same.
A section of the report mentioned: “Rahul Gandhi fulfilled the promise made to three students of MP during Bharat Jodo Yatra in just 10 days. Former Congress national president Rahul Gandhi is currently in Rajasthan for his Bharat Jodo Yatra. The yatra entered Bundi district on Thursday. After completing the yatra in Kota, Rahul Gandhi directly reached the helipad built in Gudli, Bundi. Three students from Ujjain, MP were waiting for him there. They had come to take a helicopter ride with Rahul Gandhi.”
Furthermore, a video report by First Khaber, dated December 9, 2022, stated that Gandhi was enroute from Nainani Farm in Bundi to Sawai Madhopur to celebrate his mother Sonia’s birthday, when he learned about Kamakshi’s desire to meet him.
As Kamakshi was celebrating her 14th birthday, Gandhi fulfilled her dream and also met other children of the family.
Here is the link to the report and below is a screenshot of the same.
Subsequently, the Desk concluded that the photo dating back 2022 was shared on social media as recent with false claims.
Conclusion: A photo of Rahul Gandhi was shared on social media with users claiming that it showed him with his wife and children during a trip. However, it was found that the four individuals with Gandhi seen in the photo were children of Priyanka Nandwana, the president of the Mahila Congress in Baran district of Rajasthan. Gandhi had met them in 2022 during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The photo was shared on social media with false claims.
(The fact-check article was originally published by PTI Fact Check and has been republished by Lighthouse Journalism as a part of Shakti Collective.)
