Recently, a post is going viral over the internet which claims that President Ram Nath Kovind bowed down before the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. This post is shared with the theory of ‘slave mentality’. A social media user shared the picture with a claim in Hindi that went on to narrate a story about a district officer who belonged to an oppressed caste and how he bowed before a priest without touching his feet.
The user goes on to draw parallels between the story and the president’s photo and added that ‘the slave mentality never leaves one’. And a few more were uploaded with such similar claims.
However, doing a reverse search, it was found that the photograph was posted by the official Twitter handle of ‘President of India’on June 27 when President Kovind landed at the helipad near his village in Uttar Pradesh.
The photo was captioned, “In a rare emotional gesture, after landing at the helipad near his village, Paraunkh of Kanpur Dehat district of Uttar Pradesh, President Ram Nath Kovind bowed and touched the soil to pay obeisance to the land of his birth.” President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday (June 27) arrived in Uttar Pradesh for a three-day trip. According to the schedule, President visited his native village Paraunkh. In a heart-warming and emotional gesture, the President bowed and touched the ground to pay obeisance to the land of his birth.
Earlier, the President, accompanied by First Lady Savita Devi Kovind, boarded a special train to his native place Kanpur, reviving an old tradition of the Head of State travelling in a presidential saloon. APJ Abdul Kalam Azad was the last President to use a presidential saloon in 2006. He arrived at his native village on a helicopter and landed near his village.
While addressing a Jan Abhinandan Samaroh at his village, the president said, “Vaccination campaign is going on all over the country and also in Uttar Pradesh. Vaccination is also like a shield to protect against the corona epidemic. That is why I suggest that you all get yourself vaccinated, but also motivate others to get vaccinated.” He added describing the contribution of his hometown in his journey: “Wherever I am, the smell of the soil of my village and the memories of the residents of my village are always present in my heart. For me, Paraunkh is not just a village, it is my motherland, from where I have always been inspired to go ahead and serve the country.”
“I had never imagined even in my dreams that an ordinary boy like me from the village would get the privilege of discharging the responsibilities of the highest office of the country. But our democratic system has shown this by doing it,” President Kovind said.
Thus, the viral claim is spread with false information. The President bowed down to his native place to pay his respect and the Governor of Uttar Pradesh Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were present to receive the President on his arrival at Kanpur Central Railway Station on Friday.
