A politician making a gaffe at a public event is exactly the kind of thing that social media loves. So when Congress President Rahul Gandhi made the dubious claim on Monday that the Coca Cola founder started out selling shikanji (lemonade) in the US, while fast food giant Mc Donald’s founder first ran a dhaba, it was a recipe for jokes and memes on Twitter.
Gandhi, speaking at a national convention for Other Backward Classes leaders organised by the Congress, made those remarks ostensibly to imply that the Bharatiya Janata Party was not doing enough to improve the condition of the backward classes. “Everyone must have heard about Coca-Cola Who started this company, does anyone know?” the Congress president said. “He sold shikanji in America. He used to mix sugar in water. His talent was recognised, he was given money and started the Coca-Cola company.” He then seemingly rued the lack of such examples in India.
#WATCH Congress President Rahul Gandhi talks about origins of the Coca-Cola & McDonald's company, says, "Coca-Cola company ko shuru karne wala ek shikanji bechne wala vyakti tha..." #Delhi pic.twitter.com/MATnaR734J
— ANI (@ANI) June 11, 2018
However, as several fact checks have shown, the carbonated beverage’s inventor, John Pemberton, arrived at the formula while trying to find recipes for opium-free painkillers. Pemberton was a pharmacist who joined the Army during the First World War. There, he sustained an injury, which led to an addiction to morphine. To cure his addiction, he started using his knowledge as a pharmacist to develop alternatives to the drug. The first recipe was a combination of alcohol and coca – the plant used to make cocaine – called French wine coca. The quest for an alcohol-free version led him to experiment with carbonated water, and the cola-based soft drink was born. He later sold the formula to American businessman Asa Griggs Candler, who developed it into the multi-national giant that it is today.
Mc Donald’s on the other hand, was founded by not one but two people – Richard and Maurice McDonald. The couple first started a hot dog stand, then a restaurant, and eventually decided to focus on burgers, milkshakes and french fries.
Gandhi’s misrepresentation of easily verifiable events inspired much humour on Twitter. It was a day of numerous references to shikanji.
Is your glass half full or half empty ? I don’t know, it depends on what’s inside, Coke or Shikanji #lamejokesforever
— Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) June 11, 2018
What misfortune for this country that its leaders cannot think beyond shikanji and pakora!
— Rahul Pandita (@rahulpandita) June 11, 2018
The Beatles drinking Shikanji.#AccordingToRahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/x08DmGd4Nr
— PhD in Bakchodi (@Atheist_Krishna) June 11, 2018
John Pemberton and Asa Candler must have woken up in their graves to sip a glass of shikanji. https://t.co/bqfg8wpneG
— Aashish Chandorkar (@c_aashish) June 11, 2018
Soon, people started offering alternative histories of the world’s biggest corporations.
Founder of Harley Davidson #AccordingToRahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/HtzpsQoX0D
— Srikanth (@srikanthbjp_) June 11, 2018
Graham Bell #AccordingToRahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/DQ1PYboGCF
— Uttara Prachand se hu Bhench*d (@delhichatter) June 11, 2018
#AccordingToRahulGandhi
— Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) June 11, 2018
Founder of Gillette Mach3 pic.twitter.com/agBkoORS7x
Rare childhood Photo of Wright Brothers who use to sell Kites #AccordingToRahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/8bNFsslUml
— Rishi Bagree 🇮🇳 (@rishibagree) June 11, 2018
#AccordingToRahulGandhi Current CEO of Facebook. pic.twitter.com/CidacJEjDB
— Uddhham ~Sing~ (@UddhhamSingh) June 11, 2018
#AccordingToRahulGandhi Self driven car was first tested in India😀 pic.twitter.com/1MTr9hDlfg
— Gautam Singh (@gautam_) June 12, 2018
#AccordingToRahulGandhi
— TeslaCoil (@Mprasoon1729) June 12, 2018
Owner of shell corporation pic.twitter.com/XBw9uTNH1Z
#AccordingToRahulGandhi Steve Jobs in his childhood days was selling Apples. pic.twitter.com/Rg3sjfr5y3
— ಏನ್ ನಿನ್ ಪ್ರಾಬ್ಲಮ್ (@arunbtgbd) June 11, 2018
#AccordingToRahulGandhi the chips produced by Intel were first made by a bloke outside Regal Cinema in BOMBAY and in those days were made from potato before they began to be used in computers.
— SUHEL SETH (@suhelseth) June 11, 2018
Went to a dhaba and ordered an aloo tikki with paav, some aloo chips and shikanji
— Atul Khatri (@one_by_two) June 11, 2018
I meant - Went to McDonald's, ordered a Veg Burger, french fries and a Coke #AccordingToRahulGandhi
.#AccordingToRahulGandhi have u heard of SpaceX? You know the owner of SpaceX, Elon Musk use to make Diwali rockets before launching his own Rocket to Jupiter pic.twitter.com/GyzZotSMYy
— #GauravPradhan 🇮🇳 (@DrGPradhan) June 11, 2018
Cartoonists also jumped into the fray, satirising the remarks in their columns on Tuesday.
#cartoon @timesofindia #Shikanji #RahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/srY6mMGIxa
— Sandeep Adhwaryu (@CartoonistSan) June 12, 2018
#RahulGandhiSpeeches #RahulGandhiQuotes #RahulGandhi
— MANJUL (@MANJULtoons) June 12, 2018
My #cartoon for @mid_day
More #MumbaiMeriJaan #cartoons here: https://t.co/1ailDwUA1A pic.twitter.com/cgAaaA777H
Some Twitter users, however, found proof for Rahul Gandhi’s claims.
#AccordingToRahulGandhi so its true 😂 pic.twitter.com/KFBaIXWOYA
— Aniket salvi (@aniket7486) June 12, 2018
Murg Donalds pic.twitter.com/OsBMQigIaK
— Joe Limbus (@JoeLimbus) April 10, 2017