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What is the claim?
A news clip purportedly from Hindi news channel Aaj Tak is being widely shared on social media. The clip claims that Muslim organisations like Jammet-e-Islami and Raza Academy have set five major conditions before the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition leaders in exchange for issuing a fatwa (an Islamic legal ruling) to secure Muslim votes in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections.
The viral clip shows Urdu text with a voiceover discussing the five conditions. According to the video, these conditions allegedly include appointing a Muslim leader as deputy chief minister, ensuring 25 per cent of Cabinet ministers are Muslims, taking a clear stance on the Waqf Board, providing special financial assistance to madrasas and Urdu schools, and granting reservations for the Muslim community.
The video states that MVA leaders Uddhav Thackeray and Sharadchandra Pawar have agreed to fulfill these demands. The opposition MVA coalition comprises the Indian National Congress, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), and the Nationalist Congress Party led by Pawar.
On X (formerly Twitter), a user posted the video with a Hindi caption, "Listen to the conditions of Muslims which Maha Vikas Aghadi, Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar have accepted, about which the common man was not even informed." Similar claims can be seen here, here, and here.This video is also widely shared on Facebook with similar claims and can be seen here, here, here, and here.
The claim surfaced in the lead-up to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections on November 20, 2024, followed by counting votes on November 23.
However, we found that the Aaj Tak viral news clip is fake. The channel has not aired any such report, and the Muslim organizations named in the claim have also denied making any such demands to the MVA.
What we found
We noticed a news ticker at the bottom of the viral video about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Varanasi, where he inaugurated a hospital at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and flagged off the Mahakal Express between Varanasi-Ujjain-Omkareshwar.
Using this information, we found a video on Aaj Tak’s YouTube channel (archived here) posted on February 16, 2020, that matches the news ticker text in the viral video. However, this video focused on the Aam Aadmi Party's third victory in Delhi, suggesting that the viral clip is fake.
The news ticker in the video stated that Modi would inaugurate over 30 projects in Varanasi on February 16, 2020, including a 430-bed super-specialty hospital at BHU, the launch of the Mahakal Express, and the unveiling of a 63-foot tall statue of Deendayal Upadhyay. This was also confirmed by a report from The Indian Express and an Aaj Tak video report (archived here) posted on its YouTube channel on February 16.
Additionally, the font used in the viral video to list the demands of Muslim organizations differs from Aaj Tak’s typical bold font style.
We checked Aaj Tak's website, YouTube channel, and social media accounts but did not find any such report or video indicating that Muslim organizations demanded a deputy chief minister position for Muslims from the MVA.
Further, we contacted Jamaat-e-Islami and Raza Academy officials— the organizations stated in the claim.
Ilyas Falahi, president of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (Maharashtra), denied the viral claim, clarifying, "We have never made such a demand to the MVA leaders. Our charter of demands contains no such points." He also stated that they do not have an alliance with Raza Academy.
Raza Academy President Saeed Noori also denied making any such demand to the MVA leaders, as claimed in the video.
We also contacted Priyanka Chaturvedi, leader of the MVA's key party, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), and will update the story as we receive a response.
The verdict
The viral Aaj Tak news clip circulating online is fake. The channel did not publish any such report, and the Muslim organizations have denied making any such demands to the MVA.
(Note: This story was first published by Logically Facts as part of Shakti Collective and is republished by ETV Bharat.)
