Fact Check Reveals Misleading Claims on TDP-BJP Alliance Break

Months after the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in a pre-election alliance, a social media post falsely claimed that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had left the coalition due to the state not receiving special status from the Centre. Fact Check's investigation revealed this claim to be false, identifying a video report from March 2018 being misrepresented as recent news.

On September 7, a video was posted on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, with the caption, "It's over! Now, there's full expectation of the government falling. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recently met with Lalu Yadav, and Chandrababu Naidu broke the alliance. This is a sign of change!" This post garnered hundreds of likes, comments, and shares.

Fact Check Investigation

The Fact Check Desk conducted a Google search using relevant keywords to verify the claim made in the post. However, no reliable media reports were found that confirmed the Telugu Desam Party breaking ties with the NDA recently. A thorough reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video using Google Lens revealed that the footage was from March 2018.

The video was originally uploaded on March 7, 2018, on ABP News' official YouTube channel. The Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP had indeed quit the NDA in March 2018 over Andhra Pradesh's special status category. ABP's video report stated that Naidu walked away from the NDA due to this issue and mentioned that two TDP ministers resigned from the central government at that time.

Recent Political Developments

Earlier this year, before the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, TDP re-joined the BJP-led alliance. Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena was also a partner in this coalition within the state. In these assembly elections, the NDA alliance secured 164 out of 175 seats, leading to Naidu becoming the state's chief minister for the fourth time.

Two TDP leaders were appointed as ministers in the third consecutive NDA government after winning 16 Lok Sabha seats in this year's elections. One leader became a cabinet minister while another took on a minister of state role. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) and TDP played crucial roles in helping NDA cross the majority mark as BJP alone fell short.

Previously, reports about Nitish Kumar's meeting with RJD's Lalu Yadav were also found to be false by Fact Check. The complete fact-check report can be read here -- https://bit.ly/3XzHTVJ

If you want to verify any viral claims on social media, you can contact the Fact Check Desk on WhatsApp at +91-8130503759.