Newchecker.in is an independent fact-checking initiative of NC Media Networks Pvt. Ltd. We welcome our readers to send us claims to fact check. If you believe a story or statement deserves a fact check, or an error has been made with a published fact check
Contact Us: [email protected]
Fact Check
A viral video shows Sonia Gandhi sidelining Dr Manmohan Singh, while greeting a Chinese delegation, during his tenure as the Prime Minister of India.
The claim is misleading. The footage is from June 16, 2015, after Dr. Manmohan Singh had left office (his term ended in 2014).
A video claiming to show Congress leader Sonia Gandhi sidelining then–Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh while welcoming a Chinese delegation has gone viral on social media.
Also Read: No, Donald Trump Didn’t Blame India For Pakistan Floods, Viral Video Is A Deepfake
Official social media account of party shared stills from the same footage, stating a Chinese parliamentary delegation met Sonia Gandhi and former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh.
Full footage of the meeting posted on the party’s official channel.
Also Read: Viral Image Claiming Drone Show for PM Modi In China Is Edited
A photo listing identifies the then- Chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress Zhang Dejiang meeting Sonia Gandhi and Dr. Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on June 16, 2015.
Press material confirms Zhang Dejiang visited India in June 2015 and met senior leaders.
Multiple primary sources place the meeting on 16 June 2015 and identify the delegation head as Zhang Dejiang, after Manmohan Singh’s tenure ended in 2014.
The video is real but miscontextualised. It was filmed in June 2015, after Dr. Manmohan Singh’s tenure (2004–2014).
Q1: Does the video show Sonia Gandhi sidelining Manmohan Singh while he was PM?
No. The clip is from June 16, 2015, after his term ended in 2014.
Q2: Who led the Chinese delegation in the video?
Zhang Dejiang, then-chairman of China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee.
Q3: Where can I see the original footage?
The full footage was uploaded on the Congress party’s official YouTube channel in June 2015 (link above).
Q4: Why is the claim misleading?
Because it presents a post-tenure clip as if it were recorded during Dr. Singh’s prime ministership, changing the event’s context and meaning.
Sources
X Post By Congress, Dated June 16, 2015
YouTube Video By Congress, Dated June 16, 2015
Alamy Website
Kushel Madhusoodan
September 24, 2025
Ishwarachandra B G
September 23, 2025
Vasudha Beri
September 23, 2025