PIB fact-checks ‘exaggerated’ Congress claim of waterlogging at newly constructed Bharat Mandapam

खोखले विकास की पोल खुल गई

G20 के लिए भारत मंडपम तैयार किया गया। 2,700 करोड़ रुपए लगा दिए गए।

एक बारिश में पानी फिर गया… pic.twitter.com/jBaEZcOiv2

— Congress (@INCIndia) September 10, 2023

Party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate spoke in the same vein.

“Efforts are underway to remove water with machines. Rains are also part of international anti-national conspiracy,” she said while sharing the video on X.

“Who are these corrupt people who stole so much money and did such shoddy work?” she asked.

G20 के लिए भारत मण्डपम बनाने की लागत 2700 करोड़ रुपये

जलनिकाय का इंतज़ाम नहीं, एक बारिश ने तबाही मचा दी

मशीनों से पानी निकालने की कोशिश चल रही है

बारिश भी अंतरराष्ट्रीय देश विरोधी साज़िश में शामिल है

कौन हैं ये भ्रष्ट लोग जो इतना पैसा झटक कर इतना घटिया काम करते हैं? pic.twitter.com/DtcOpyqHFW

— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) September 10, 2023

Also read: Nothing Hindu about what the BJP does: Rahul Gandhi

‘Misleading and exaggerated’

Meanwhile, the fact-checking unit of the PIB flagged the issue, claiming that it was misleading and exaggerated.

“A video claims that there is waterlogging at venue of #G20Summit. #PIBFactCheck: This claim is exaggerated and misleading. Minor water logging in open area was swiftly cleared as pumps were pressed into action after overnight rains. No water logging at venue presently,” it said on X.

A video claims that there is waterlogging at venue of #G20Summit #PIBFactCheck:

✔️This claim is exaggerated and misleading

✔️Minor water logging in open area was swiftly cleared as pumps were pressed into action after overnight rains

✔️No water logging at venue presently pic.twitter.com/JiWzWx1riZ

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) September 10, 2023

Addressing a rally in Niwai in poll-bound Rajasthan’s Tonk district, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the waterlogging.

“Perhaps what the people of our country are not able to say due to fear, God has said: Reduce your ego, this country has made you a leader, put it first and make the people supreme,” she said.

Party spokesperson Pawan Khera also targeted the government.

‘Not a squeak in media’

“I vividly remember the criticism our govts – both state and central – faced due to waterlogging in the basements of the flats of CWG Village 15 days before the event.

“The Bharat Mandapam gets flooded in the middle of a ‘G20 India 2023’ event, but not a squeak in the media,” he said.

“Modi ji, you didn’t learn from us how to govern India, but we must learn from you how to manage the media,” Khera said.

Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala said, “In the “Bharat Mandapam”, built at a cost of about ₹3000 crore, today “development” was seen floating even in the slightest rain.”

Taking to X, he said he prays to God that it doesn’t rain much during the day and that the G20 Summit gets completed safely.

“The Modi government has covered the poor with a curtain but no amount of showmanship can cover up its misdeeds. Anyway, in the Modi government, nothing lasts after events and inaugurations,” Surjewala said in Hindi.

लगभग ₹3000 करोड़ की लागत से बने "भारत मंडपम" में, आज जरा सी बारिश में ही “विकास” तैरता हुआ दिखाई दिया !

भगवान से प्रार्थना है कि आज दिन में यहां ज्यादा बारिश ना हो, #G20Summit सही सलामत पूरा हो जाए !

मोदी सरकार ने गरीबों को तो 'पर्दे' से ढक दिया, मगर कितनी भी "शो-शो बाज़ी"… pic.twitter.com/ZdrSTHOOnG

— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) September 10, 2023

Sharing the video of the Bharat Mandapam, Indian Youth Congress chief BV Srinivas said “development is swimming”.

The G20 Summit began at the Bharat Mandapam on Saturday and will conclude on Sunday.

(With PTI inputs)