New Delhi: As the political climate intensifies in the lead-up to the Delhi Assembly elections in February 2025, both the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have ramped up their campaign activities. After the BJP pledged to maintain the existing freebies under the current government, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal mobilized grassroots workers to highlight his party’s free initiatives, including electricity, water, education, healthcare, bus travel for women, and pilgrimages for senior citizens. However, AAP went a step further by releasing a video featuring actor Pankaj Tripathi criticizing the BJP—only for the widely shared clip to later be exposed as altered.
Actor Pankaj Tripathi, portraying a peanut seller, was shown sharply criticizing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a viral video. In the clip, Tripathi says, “I sell peanuts, not my mind. Look at the message BJP has sent” (he then gestures to his mobile screen). The message reads, “Vote for us, we’ll bring development.” Tripathi responds, “Do you think I’m clueless? I’ll vote for them here, and government funds will disappear there. I’m a peanut seller, not a fool. Remember, if the BJP tries to lure you, say, ‘I’m not a fool.’”
However, the original video was a public service announcement where Tripathi discussed UPI frauds, not the BJP. In the authentic version, Tripathi shows a message on his phone screen reading, “Winner. Congrats! You have won a lottery of Rs 25,00,000! To claim your prize, click here,” with a hyperlink. In the altered video, the message was swapped with the BJP symbol and the words, “Vote for BJP.”
The edited video was shared by the official social media accounts of AAP Rajasthan, AAP Seelampur, and others. Posted on December 5, the video was later removed.
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