Fact Check: Video of CM Yogi Adityanath threatening ‘permanent unemployment’ to protestors is not recent

Hyderabad: As the voting for the third phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 is set to take place on May 7, a video of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath reportedly saying protestors holding banners will stay unemployed in their lifetime, during a public meeting is in circulation on social media. The claim accompanying the posts links it to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“Remove the banner or you will be unemployed for your whole life. People like them should not be allowed,” Yogi is heard saying in the video. (Archive)

“Yogi ji is openly threatening the students and youth from the stage: ‘Remove the banner otherwise I will make you unemployed forever’,” wrote a Facebook user sharing the video.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found the video is from 2019 and is being falsely linked to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Upon conducting a relevant keyword search, we found the video posted by multiple X users in April 2019. According to one user, the video (Archive) captured Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s response when BTC-trained individuals staged a protest in front of him in Agra.

We also found the same video in a report by OneIndia Hindi published on February 19, 2020. According to the report, CM Adityanath while addressing the people asked a man, in response to his protest, to take down the banner stating that he would remain unemployed forever.

Jansatta also reported the video on February 19, 2020, stating the UP CM had threatened protestors with 'permanent unemployment.'

Hence, we conclude that the video has been on the Internet since at least 2019 and is being falsely linked to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.