Fact-Check: Edited Clip Shared To Claim That Rahul Gandhi Said 50+15 Was 73

This video is edited. In the original clip, Rahul Gandhi asks people to add up 50, 15, and 8, which adds up to 73.

Gandhi's clip has been edited to look like he made a mistake in adding two numbers.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A video of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi speaking at a podium is being shared on social media, where he appears to make a mathematical mistake.

The claim: The video in which Gandhi says, "Tell me, how much is 50 and 15? 73?" is being shared to claim that he thought 50 and 15 add up to 73.

An archived version of this post can be seen here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

(Archives of more posts sharing this clip can be seen here, here, and here.)

But...?: The clip is edited to make fun of Gandhi.

• In the original video, he speaks about the numbers of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), tribals, and Dalits, saying that they make up 50 percent, 15 percent, and eight percent of the population.

• Regarding the need for a caste census, Gandhi said it was necessary as "50+15+8" added up to 73, meaning that 73 percent of India's population belongs to the above-mentioned categories.

How did we find out?: Using relevant keywords, we looked for a longer version of the clip on the internet.

• A search on Facebook led us to a video shared by the Indian National Congress' verified page, which showed similar visuals of the Congress leader.

We saw that the viral video was taken from Gandhi's speech in Odisha.

(Source: Altered by The Quint)

• In this video, Gandhi spoke about social injustice and the need for a caste census during a speech in Odisha, which is a part of the party's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

• "At least 50 percent of people belong to the OBC category. Nobody knows this, because the figures we found in 2011 were not made public by the Narendra Modi government," Gandhi stated.

• Speaking about the number of OBCs, Dalits, and tribals in the country, he remarked."It is said that 50-55 percent of the people in our country are OBCs, 15 percent are Dalits, and eight percent are adivasis (tribals)."

"What does it add up to? Tell me? 50, 15, and eight. How much is it? 73? So tell me, if 73 percent don't get anything, their voices are missing from the media, they're missing from corporate offices, from the Prime Minister's Office, from the bureaucracy..."

Rahul Gandhi's speech during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Odisha

• We found the same video on the Congress party's verified YouTube channel where the part seen in the viral claims starts at the 06:45-minute mark.

Congress responds: Owing to the virality of the claim, the Congress party's verified Facebook page also shared the edited and the actual videos side-by-side.

Conclusion: An edited video of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, which shows him adding 50 and 15 up to make 73, is being shared to take a dig at the leader.

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