A man points at magnificent European architecture and claims that Congress president Rahul Gandhi owns the lavish property. “He has looted India and bought these buildings in Italy,” the man says in Gujarati. The man in the clip claims that Rahul Gandhi has bought three extravagant buildings in Italy with India’s money and gets paid a hefty rent.
The post of the video on the Facebook page Mera Bharat Mahan has over 1.5 lakh views and nearly 13,000 shares. “इटली से आयी पप्पु की सच्चाई देखो ओर दूसरो को भी दिखाओ,” reads the accompanying caption. Loosely translated, it means: Truth about Pappu [the derogatory name by which Gandhi is known to some of his detractors] from Italy. Watch and make others watch too.
In the video, the man can be heard saying in Gujarati, “Rajiv Gandhi’s son, Pappu, that’s his building. He purchased this building after looting the entire country. I am in Italy and this is Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi’s building. Pappu makes money while sitting in India through these three buildings. His business is giving these properties for rent. He has looted India. Finish Pappu and throw him out of India. Jai Sri Krishna. I am in Italy.”
The video is viral in both Hindi (keywords – बिल्डिंग राहुल गांधी) and English (keywords – Pappu Italy buildings).
It is also circulating on Twitter.
The three buildings shown in video are owned by pappu in Italy. That’s how they had been looting and making their own empire since ages instead of thinking about our country. pic.twitter.com/m22QiHbUrh
— Chowkidar Resham 🇮🇳 (@MyPoint0fView_) April 27, 2019
Reserve Bank of India director S Gurumurthy was among those who retweeted the video.
Historical landmark
The buildings showcased in the video are a part of a city square – Piazza Castello – in Turin, Italy. The square-shaped landmark houses museums, theatres and palaces, including the Royal Palace of Turin built in the 16th century. Several of the architectural complexes are world heritage sites protected by the UNESCO.
The collage below shows the Google street view of the Royal Palace in Piazza Castello, juxtaposed with a screengrab of the palace as seen in the viral video.
The photo montage below shows the approximate location where the viral clip was shot.
There are also abundant videos on YouTube of the Piazza Castello, where the same architectural complexes are visible.
The ludicrous claim has been given life by many who believed it to be true. Had Rahul Gandhi owned such extravagant property in Italy, the news would’ve made headlines in India.
This article first appeared on AltNews.in.