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YouTuber Dhruv Rathee’s Video Is So Fake That Leftists Themselves Are Questioning Its Veracity

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German resident and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee’s video “Is India becoming a DICTATORSHIP?” has evoked a lot of reactions on social media. Surprisingly, the criticism comes from the left stable. Dilip Mandal, a self-styled activist and columnist who is known for his tirade against Hinduism and Brahmins has called out the falsities in the video.

Dilip Mandal posted on social media platform X about the video. He pointed out the fake news that had been passed off as “facts” in the video. As expected, alleged fact-checker Mohammed Zubair shared Rathee’s video which Mandal called out and requested him to fact-check the claims made in the video. Mandal wrote, “Dear Zubair, Delete this tweet. You are a fact-checker. So, before endorsing anything you must do the fact-checking. #DhruvRathee is spreading fake news. At 9:15 in his video, he states that there is an expenditure limit for parties regarding election expenses. Based on this, he claims that the BJP should not have spent more than 415 crore in the 2019 elections, whereas the Election Commission’s website mentions that the BJP spent 1264 crore, which he labels as malpractice. This claim is false, and he could potentially be tried for spreading such misinformation. There is no limit for parties on election expenditure.”

So What Did Mandal Flag In The Video? 

Mandal pointed out the false claim of expenditure limits during elections for parties. In the video, at around 9.12, Rathee says, “Even today, the Election Commission has set a limit on how much money can be spent on an MLA election and an MP election. In an MP election, the limit is ₹9.5 million. BJP contested the election on 437 seats. So, the total spending of the party should not have been more than ₹4.15 billion. But how much did they spend? It is written on the website of the Election Commission, ₹12.64 billion. how did the Election Commission allow this? The Center for Media Studies also estimated that the BJP had spent ₹270 billion in the previous elections. Which was 45% of the total expenditure. If you look at the data of today, electoral bonds worth ₹160 billion have been sold. Out of these ₹160 billion, more than ₹100 billion went to BJP, ₹15 billion to Congress and ₹8 billion to TMC. All these amounts surpass the spending limit of the election.”

Rathee fails to talk about the Congress which spent ₹820 crores in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. 

So is there a limit set for parties? There is a spending limit for candidates and not essentially for parties. The Election Commission of India increased expenditure limits for Lok Sabha and Assembly constituency candidates a few years ago. ECI website states that Lok Sabha limits were raised from ₹54-70 lakh to ₹70-95 lakh, and Assembly limits increased from ₹20-28 lakh to ₹28-40 lakh. Candidates must account for spending on campaigns, meetings, ads, and more. Expenditure statements must be submitted within 30 days post-election. Exceeding limits can lead to disqualification. Critics found limits unrealistic, with a 2019 bill proposing their removal. Parties have no caps but must report expenses within 90 days of elections.

Another left-liberal and WSJ columnist Sadanand Dhume questioned the theme of the video itself. Dhume found the idea of the comparison of India with North Korea ridiculous. He wrote on his X handle, “This @dhruv_rathee video criticizing democratic backsliding in India over the past decade has garnered more than 10 MILLION views in three days. Whether you agree with Rathee or not—personally I find comparing India with North Korea ridiculous—it’s clear that many people seek video content critical of Modi and the BJP. They will look for it on YouTube if they can’t find it on India’s mostly supine TV news channels. [Video, Hindi, 30m]”

Is Rathee right in comparing India to North Korea? The fact that Rathee can create videos critical of Modi, critical of India, and remain unharmed is evidence of India’s democratic nature. In North Korea, a 100% election turnout doesn’t equate to democracy. A question comes up in this case whether the BJP restricts other parties like Congress, AAP, and JDU from contesting elections. India is such a democracy that even people like Kamal Haasan or Rakhi Sawant can contest the elections, and get votes, but can any layman contest elections in North Korea? In North Korea, if someone speaks against those in power they are executed and the same does not happen in India. 

What Other Lies Does Rathee Spread In The video?

Here is a list of the lies spread in the Dhruv Rathee video. 

Modi used the military to get votes: Rathee presented a video where Modi encouraged first-time voters to vote for the army. Modi specifically suggested that first-time votes dedicate their votes to the memory of Pulwama martyrs, and he did not explicitly ask them to vote for the BJP. It is noteworthy that Modi is probably the only PM who has been celebrating Diwali with Jawans for years. 

Horse-Trading Of MLAs: Rathee vividly portrays how MPs and MLAs allegedly enter resorts, take money, and then confess to their families about selling the nation for personal gain. Is it the BJP’s fault that if people want to shift loyalties, they choose the BJP rather than their own party?  On the horse-trading allegation, Rathee also states, “Investigative agencies are responsible for investigative agencies dance to the tune of a single political party, then who will investigate these allegations?”

Weaponisation Of ED, CBI: Rathee accuses the BJP of using central agencies like the ED and CBI for political gain. He said, “Last year 14 political parties had complained to the Supreme Court about how the government is using CBI and ED against opposition leaders. They said that they have carried out more than 3,000 raids on political leaders. If you compare it with 2014, you can see a 4 fold jump in the number of ED cases against politicians. And 95% of the cases are registered against opposition parties. In response, ED said that their conviction rate is very high. The conviction rate is 96% because the trials in 25 cases are over and there was a conviction in 24 cases. But the truth is that from 2005 till now, ED has registered more than 5,900 cases. The trial was conducted in only 25 cases. And the conviction was in only 24 cases. That translates to only 0.5% of the cases being substantial.”

Arun Jaitley, a deceased member of the BJP, wrote an elaborate article on how the Congress manipulated the CBI. CBI director, Ranjit Sinha, allegedly stated that the UPA would have preferred charging Amit Shah in the Ishrat Jehan case, but CBI found no evidence. Sinha later issued an unconvincing clarification. Jaitley’s article highlights historical instances of manipulating the CBI, citing the Emergency’s abuse and UPA’s control over the agency. Directors were allegedly offered post-retirement positions for compliance. The letter to the Prime Minister outlined false implications against BJP leaders. Despite Sinha’s denial, the article contends that evidence exists, questioning the CBI’s independence.

Rathee says Manipur was burning for 77 days but has not spoken a word on the Sandeshkhali riots. He has not questioned the dictatorial behaviour of the Mamata-run West Bengal government. Members of the fact-checking committee on their way to Sandeshkhali were arrested at Bhojerhat, South 24 Parganas. 

However, Rathee does not raise an eyebrow with regard to Sandeshkhali or Mamata or how the DMK government in Tamil Nadu issues summonses and arrests people critical of the government. 

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