Indian opposition candidate was not filmed calling late Muslim emperor his 'brother'

What you need to know

A video of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been circulating online, in which he appears to call late Mughal emperor Aurangzeb his "brother". However, the video has been clipped and edited to create a misleading impression. In the full video, Gandhi is actually saying that Aurangzeb was a "brother" to all Indians, in the sense that he was a part of Indian history.

Why does this matter?

The video has been used by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to attack Gandhi and the Congress party. The BJP has accused Gandhi of being "pro-Muslim" and of trying to appease Muslim voters. Gandhi has denied these allegations and said that the video has been taken out of context.

Additional details

The video was originally taken in 2019, during a speech Gandhi gave in Maharashtra. In the full video, Gandhi says that Aurangzeb was a "brother" to all Indians, regardless of their religion. He also says that Aurangzeb was a "great warrior" and a "great ruler". Gandhi's comments were not intended to be controversial, but they have been used by the BJP to attack him and the Congress party in the lead-up to the 2019 general election.

Sources

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-48149430 https://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/rahul-says-aurangzeb-was-brother-bjp-alleges-congress-trying-to-woo-muslims/articleshow/69024126.cms https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/rahul-gandhi-says-aurangzeb-was-brother-bjp-alleges-congress-trying-to-woo-muslims-2056338