Fact Check: Did Saudi Arabia build a gold statue of PM Modi? Know the truth of the viral video on social media

New Delhi: A video is becoming increasingly viral on social media. In this video, a gold statue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi weighing 156 grams can be seen in a showcase. The video is being shared with the claim that Saudi Arabia has built this gold statue in honor of Prime Minister Modi. When this video was investigated, it was found that this claim is false. This gold statue was not built by Saudi Arabia but by a jeweler from Surat, Basant Bohra, during the 2022 assembly elections in Gujarat.

What is the claim being made?
While sharing the viral video on Instagram, a user wrote, ‘Statues of people are made from wax, but in Saudi Arabia (Muslim country) a gold statue of Modi has been made and installed and the traitor people here are feeling irritated.’

This video has gone viral earlier as well. Earlier also some users had made it viral with the false claim of Saudi Arabia.

How was the viral video investigated?
To investigate the viral video, we searched the keywords related to the video on Google. This led us to several media reports in which this golden statue was said to be from Surat, Gujarat.

A video found on Amar Ujala website dated 20 January 2023 Report According to the report, Surat jeweler Basant Bohra made a gold statue of Prime Minister Modi to celebrate the one-sided victory of BJP in Gujarat. The report also said that this 156 gram statue was completed by about 20 artisans in three months. The viral video can also be seen in the report.

In fact, in the 2022 Gujarat assembly elections, BJP won 156 out of 182 seats. In this happiness, the Surat businessman also kept the weight of this statue of PM Modi at 156 grams.

of 21 January 2023 ABP News The report also said that Surat jeweler Basant Bohra made the gold statue of the PM. he/she is the owner of Radhika Chains, a jewellery company. According to this report, Basant Bohra is a fan of PM Modi and he/she made this statue in honour of PM Modi. In this report, the cost of the statue was stated to be Rs 11 lakh.

presswire18 Times report According to , the viral video is from the ‘Bombay Gold Exhibition’ where this 156 gram gold statue of PM Modi was unveiled.

News 18’s Youtube channel But in this context, an interview of Jauhari can also be seen. In this interview dated 21 January 2023, he/she has told the whole story behind this statue.

conclusion
It is clear from all the media reports that the claim being made with the viral video is false. This gold statue was not made in Saudi Arabia but by a businessman from Surat. Also, the video is old and has no connection with the Lok Sabha elections.

(This story was originally published by BoomAnd republished by NBT as part of Shakti Collective.)