Fact-Check: Photo of Smriti Irani Holding Fish Was Taken Before Navratri

The photo of Smriti Irani holding a fish was taken three days before Chaitra Navratri began.

The photo of Smriti Irani holding fish predates the start of Chaitra Navratri.

(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Altered by The Quint)

A photo of Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani holding a fish is being widely shared on social media.

The claim: The photo is being shared to claim that Irani was holding a fish during the auspicious Hindu festival of Chaitra Navratri, which took place from 9 April to 17 April this year.

• The claim targets Irani, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, because the party's functionaries have often called for – or supported – a ban on the sale and consumption of meat during these days.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also recently questioned Opposition leaders on uploading videos of them eating non-vegetarian food during Navratri.

An archive of a post making the same claim in Hindi can be seen here.

(Source:X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)

(Archives of more claims on social media can be seen here and here.)

Is it true?: No. The photo was taken three days before Chaitra Navratri began, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

How did we find out?: We ran a reverse image search on the photo using Google Lens.

• We carried out a keyword search on Google, using the keywords 'Smriti Irani holding fish' and looked for similar images.

• This led us to a report by The Times of India, which carried the same photograph, updated on 7 April 2024.

The report was updated on 7 March.

(Source: The Times of India/Altered by The Quint)

• It mentioned that local fishermen gifted her a large fish while she was campaigning for the BJP candidate from the north Chennai constituency 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu.

• Using her name and the constituency's name on X, we also found a post by TOI Chennai, which was shared on 6 April.

• This predates the start of Chaitra Navratri by three days.

The photo was first shared on 6 April.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

Conclusion: The photo showing Union Minister Smriti Irani holding a fish was taken three days before Chaitra Navratri began on 9 April.

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