Fact Check: Minister Ambati Rambabu’s video criticising CM Jaganmohan Reddy is edited
Minister Ambati Rambabu’s video criticising CM Jaganmohan Reddy is edited
Andhra Pradesh will witness both Assembly and general elections in the next two months and all the political parties are busy electioneering and devising strategies to beat their rivals. In this context, a video is in circulation on social media showing Andhra Pradesh water resources minister Ambati Rambabu criticizing Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy at a public meeting. The minister is heard saying, "Jagan Mohan Reddy is a fraud who cheated people on every word he gave."
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Fact Check:
The claim is misleading.
Ambati Rambabu assumed charge as the minister of irrigation in 2022. He became a member of Jagan's newly-established YSR Congress Party in March 2011 and has since served as a spokesperson for the party. Rambabu has been involved in various public initiatives and projects aimed at improving irrigation facilities, water supply, and agricultural production in Andhra Pradesh.
We conducted a reverse image search of the screenshots of the video and found a full length video with the same scenes on March 10, 2024 by Sakshi TV Live on their YouTube channel. The title of the video reads, “AP CM YS Jagan Public Meeting at Medarametla | Siddham Sabha | Bapatla District.
Upon reviewing the video from timestamps 49:30 to 50:26, it becomes clear that Andhra Pradesh Minister of Water Resources Ambati Rambabu actually stated during the public meeting, "Do you want Jaganmohan Reddy to return as the Chief Minister of this state? Or the cheater Chandrababu Naidu who went back on his promises he gave to the people for 14 years and cheated the people." This indicates that Ambati Rambabu was criticizing Chandrababu Naidu as a fraud, not Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jaganmohan Reddy. Thus, it can be inferred that Ambati Rambabu’s speech is edited.
We have come across another video shared by ap7am.com which features the same footage as the one from Sakshi publication. In this video, the water resource minister can be heard making similar comments regarding Chandrababu Naidu.
Hence, the claim is misleading. The water resource minister's comments were directed towards Naidu and not Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jaganmohan Reddy. The video was digitally edited to spread misinformation.