A video is going viral on the internet where a Muslim cleric from Rajasthan purportedly urges his followers to attend a rally organised by the Congress party. It is not precisely clear where the video is from or what the name of the cleric is.
आखिर कांग्रेस का विरोध क्यों जरूरी है..
— हम लोग We The People (@humlogindia) February 19, 2021
राजस्थान में राहुल गांधी की रैली के लिए भीड़ इकट्ठी करने के लिए बाकायदा मस्जिदों से 2025 का डर दिखाकर रैली में इकट्ठा होने का एलान किया गया.. pic.twitter.com/5HVz0PiElT
The cleric in his address says the event will be attended by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and others Ministers and MLAs from the Rajasthan Assembly. He urges his followers to be in attendance at the Raj Public School at 11 a.m. on the 13th of February.
Intriguingly, the cleric says that it is necessary to demonstrate their strength as a community because of the sword hanging over them of 2025. It is not clear what he means when he says that.
It could mean that the Congress could seek retribution from the Muslim community in 2025 if they do not rally to their cause in the Lok Sabha Elections the year prior. Or, it could also indicate that the cleric is trying to fearmonger about the BJP in order to entice his followers into rallying behind the Congress party.
It is not clear when the video was captured. It surfaced on the internet on the 19th of February.
However, we do know that Rahul Gandhi did visit Rajasthan on the 13th of February. He was joined by Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot, Ajay Maken and others.
#Rajasthan | Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visits Veer Tejaji Maharaj Temple in Ajmer. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Congress leaders Sachin Pilot and Ajay Maken joined him. pic.twitter.com/pSlcXnXTWX
— ANI (@ANI) February 13, 2021
Rahul Gandhi had addressed a ‘Tractor Sabha’ on the 13th of February where he peddled his usual canards about the newly passed farm laws. If the content of the viral video is authentic, then it appears another instance where the ‘farmer protesters’ demonstrating against the farm laws are not really farmers at all.
Earlier, an undated video had surfaced where ‘Azadi’ slogans were raised by Muslim protesters demonstrating against the farm laws. In the current situation, assuming that the content of the viral video is accurate, it is not clear whether Mosques were used in the region to mobilize support for Rahul Gandhi’s Rajasthan rally or if it is an isolated instance at one single Mosque.