This is Not Jacinda Ardern Talking About Bhagavad Gita
The Claim
The video below depicts New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern discussing the impact the Bhagavad Gita had on her life.
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In August 2020, users on social media began sharing the video, claiming it depicts New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation found that the video actually depicts U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard. We conducted a reverse image search using a screenshot from the video and discovered that Gabbard posted the video on her Facebook account with a caption reading “Happy Janmashtami! To all who are celebrating around the world today, I wanted to wish you a wonderful Janmashtami! May we always be blessed with remembrance of Sri Krishna, His unconditional love, and His transcendental appearance in this world. Jai Sri Krishna!”
The claim likely circulated because of another recent false claim that Ardern visited a Hindu temple after declaring New Zealand free from the pandemic. The video of her visit is below.
However, the visit was actually unrelated to the pandemic. Ardern visited the temple because of the upcoming national election. She has since postponed the election for a month due to a new spike in coronavirus cases
Gabbard is the first Hindu member of the U.S. Congress.
