Fact Check: Congress makes false claim on PM Modi standing with Morbi bridge contractor

New Delhi, Nov 03: A cable bridge also known as the Julio pul on the Machhi river, Morbi, Gujarat collapsed on Sunday leading the death of over 130 people. The bridge was opened up after renovation, but collapsed leading to numerous deaths.

Nine persons have been arrested so far in connection with the incident. Against this backdrop, a photograph of a man greeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gone viral.

The claim being made by multiple Congress handles is that the man in the picture is the contractor who repaired the bridge. The man who got the contract to repair and maintain the #MorbiBridge is also a Modi crony...Only those who pay upfront via election bonds and cash get business from the Modi Govt. The going rate is reportedly 40%. It's more than just criminal #Gujarat_CommissionModel," a tweet by the official handle of the Odisha Youth Congress read.

The image was also shared by the Rajasthan Youth Congress, Maharashtra Youth Congress and several others with the same claim.

OneIndia did a reverse search of the image on Google and it led us to an article in the Patrika dated October 14 2021. The same image being shared by the Congress handles was found in the article and stated, " Gujarat's agriculture minister Raghavji Patel meets PM Modi.'

We also found a post by the minister on Facebook which is dated October 14 2021. The post had the same image that is being shared as a recent one by many Congress handles.

The Congress has been claiming that the man in the image is Odhavji Raghavji Patel. On searching we learnt that Odhavji Raghavji Patel was the founder of the world's biggest clock manufacturer Ajanta Group and he passed away in the year 2012.

Hence it is clear that the claim by the Congress that the man in the picture is Odhavji Raghavji Patel is false.