Some sources state that “Indian Government’s Acquisition of 50 Bulletproof Audi Cars for G20 Summit Raises Questions on Expenditure” has caught attention on social media platforms.
Source: India TV
Saket Gokhale, a Member of Parliament from the TMC, recently took to Twitter to share a concerning revelation. In his tweet, he shared a news article from DNA, alleging that the Indian government’s preparations for the upcoming G20 summit included the acquisition of a substantial fleet of 50 bulletproof Audi cars.
Source: Car Blog India
According to the report, this procurement endeavor was projected to incur a staggering expense exceeding Rs 400 crore. Accompanying the tweet was a pointed hashtag: “#ModiGovtsPREvent”. This development has quickly sparked discussions regarding the allocation of funds and the priorities of the government in light of the high-profile international event.
Claim
The article was published by DNA and was titled “Indian government buying 50 bulletproof Audi cars for G20 Summit, may cost over Rs 400 crore”.
In today’s shocking news:
For a 2 day PR event for PM Modi in the run up to the 2024 elections, the Modi Govt is spending Rs. 400 crores for buying 50 armored cars.
Get this: Rs. 400 crores for cars to be used for JUST 2 days?
This would’ve been much cheaper if existing or… pic.twitter.com/wfhQUt1W7k
— Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) August 25, 2023
Amid the growing controversy, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) swiftly stepped in to clarify the situation. Conducting a thorough fact-check, the PIB determined that the assertion made in the DNA article was indeed inaccurate. Via a Twitter announcement, the PIB confirmed that the government’s actions did not involve the purchase of 50 bulletproof Audi cars as alleged, but rather the leasing of 20 such vehicles at a cost of Rs 18 crore.
Claim: The government is spending ₹400 crores to buy 50 armoured cars.#PIBFactCheck
✔️This claim is Fake.
1/2 pic.twitter.com/KvWnrUOj6w
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) August 25, 2023
The PIB underscored that the provision of bulletproof vehicles is a well-established and customary protocol for hosting visiting Heads of State or Heads of Government, thereby dispelling any misconceptions surrounding the nature of this procurement. This clarification from the official source sheds light on the standard operating procedures for high-profile international events and addresses concerns raised by the public.
Gokhale removed the tweet later, but by then, the harm had been caused. Many people saw his tweet on social media and thought it was true. This is just an instance of how fake news can hurt. It spreads false information and creates problems between people. Checking the truth of what we see on the internet before we share it is really important.
Govt. has leased 20 #Audi Bullet Resistant cars for 18 crores to accommodate the security needs of #G20 visiting Leaders.#BulletProof car is being monitored and secured by Indian Agencies and concern countries security agencies too. #G20India2023 #G20Summit2023 pic.twitter.com/QMRBOYnIbT
— Manish Prasad (@manishindiatv) August 29, 2023
Saket Gokhale has not yet responded to the PIB’s fact-check. This is not the first time that Saket Gokhale has been accused of sharing fake news. In December 2022, he was arrested by the Gujarat Police for sharing a fake news tweet about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Morbi.
It is important to be aware of fake news and to verify the information that we come across before sharing it. We can do this by checking the source of the information, looking for other sources that corroborate the information, and using fact-checking websites.
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