New Delhi (AFP) – As Rahul Gandhi trekked across India on a march that even critics say has improved his image, the descendant of three past premiers was followed all the way by online disinformation.
For Gandhi's opposition Congress party, the main source of this barrage of lies and doctored videos is the well-oiled social media army of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Gandhi, 52, is due to end his 3,500-kilometre (2,175-mile) journey next week, but the trek has attracted little attention from mainstream Indian media. Online, it has been smeared with disinformation.
The false claims have included saying the flag of India's archrival Pakistan was raised during the march, and that Congress workers distributed cash to attract attendees.
One video showed Gandhi enjoying a sexually explicit song -- India remains deeply conservative -- but the audio was doctored, with the original song from a Bollywood movie.
Another image was digitally altered to show Gandhi having alcohol served at his table, an implied moral laxity aimed at hurting his standing among devout Hindus and Muslims.
Fact-checking organisations in India, including AFP, have published nearly 30 blogs debunking false claims about the march that appeared on Facebook, Twitter and instant messaging platforms.
Congress, which ruled India for decades but now looks like a spent force, has pointed the finger at the BJP for attempting to mock and discredit Gandhi.
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