New Delhi: A 13-week-old Instagram video has gone viral after netizens linked it to the recent blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, which killed at least twelve people. The reel, originally posted nearly three months ago, appears to hint at a “major incident” that would divert attention from the alleged “vote scam” controversy in the country.
The video shows a man in a formal suit sitting pensively, with the text overlay: “When you realise something big is gonna happen in the country to overshadow the vote scam!” The clip has now crossed over 2.1 million views, drawing renewed attention amid heightened political and public tension following the Red Fort explosion.
The “vote scam” debate resurfaced last week when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission (EC) of colluding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to manipulate results in the Haryana Assembly elections. Gandhi alleged a “centralised operation” created over 25 lakh fake voters through duplicate entries and altered photographs. The EC, however, dismissed these claims as “baseless.”
Soon after the blast, social media users began revisiting the old reel, with many suggesting it “predicted” a distraction from ongoing controversies. Comments on the video reflected both shock and suspicion. One user wrote, “The silence scares me. They are plotting something big. I pray for the innocents.” Another said, “The BJP senses the ground slipping under its feet and is desperate.”
Other comments under the resurfaced video mentioned past national events such as “Terrorist attack, Demonetization, CAA, NRC,” with one user warning, “Attack hone wala hai 😢.” Some had even speculated earlier that any such incident could carry religious or communal undertones.
After the Delhi blast, the reel flooded with fresh comments like “3-month-old reel trending again! Not a proud moment but one of sorrow. Stay strong Delhi ❤️🩹” “Ho gaya...🔥 Blast in Delhi.” “Yeah, the Red Fort bomb blast as a distraction to get protests away too.” “Whenever there’s a bottleneck for BJP, they have insane plans like this… even Delhi CM must’ve known.”
Referring to similar instances, one user drew parallels with the Pahalgam attack, claiming it too coincided with Muslim protests over the Waqf Amendment Act.
Summing up the public sentiment, another commenter wrote, “How can the public be fans of a party like it’s an IPL team? They’re public servants treating us like pawns while filling their pockets.” The same user alleged that agencies like the EC and EDI were being misused, urging citizens to “wake up before it’s too late.”
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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday refuted BJP leader R Ashoka's accusation regarding a judge's alleged remark about "63 per cent corruption" in the state, saying the opposition is "twisting facts" and attempting to shift blame from its own past tenure.
In a post on X, Siddaramaiah said the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly had “tried to hang the BJP’s bell of sins around the Congress government's necks and has ended up embarrassing himself” by misinterpreting the Upa Lokayukta’s comments.
"In the report submitted in November 2019, Honourable Upa Lokayukta B Veerappa had stated that there was 63 per cent corruption in the State. At the time he submitted the report, the BJP government led by Yediyurappa was in power in the State,” he clarified.
Countering Ashoka’s demand for a CBI probe, Siddaramaiah listed a series of scandals under the previous BJP government, saying corruption cases were "not just one or two".
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He accused the former regime of "shameless loot" even during the COVID crisis and said "a minimum 40 per cent commission was the norm across departments".
Referring to the death of contractor Santosh Patil, alleged irregularities in irrigation projects, the PSI recruitment scam and charges levelled by BJP MLC H Vishwanath against current state party president B Y Vijayendra, he said: “If we begin listing the scams from the BJP era, an entire epic volume could be written.”
Targetting the Centre, Siddaramaiah said under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who proclaims “Na khaaoonga, na khaane doonga” (Neither shall I take kickbacks, nor allow others to take it), India was 'sinking into corruption'.
He cited Transparency International rankings that place the country 96th globally.
Dismissing Ashoka’s claims as “foolishness”, Siddaramaiah asserted that his administration was ensuring transparency in “recruitment to transfers”, preventing misuse of money and power.
“Mr R Ashoka, the monumental corruption you created cannot be cleaned up in just two and a half years,” the Chief Minister said. “Give us some time — we will set everything right.”
Ashoka demanded the transfer of all corruption cases against the Congress government in the state to the CBI, and called for its resignation.
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His demand comes following an alleged remark by Upalokayukta Justice B Veerappa that the level of corruption in Karnataka stood at '63 per cent'.
"We had fought against this corrupt government both inside and outside the assembly when the MUDA scam, Valmiki ST Development Corporation scam surfaced. At that time, CM Siddaramaiah repeatedly asked for evidence of corruption. As per our constitution, courts and judges hold big positions and what they say is regarded as order or a record," Ashoka, also the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said now a judge has stated that the government in Karnataka is "63 per cent corrupt".
"We-- BJP-- had made a 60 per cent commission charge against this government, but a judge has said it is not 60, it is 63 per cent. He (judge) said it at an event where he shared the stage with other judges and senior advocates. He has alleged that there is corruption in almost all departments, nothing happens without paying commission. Karnataka is in fifth position in corruption," he claimed.
At a public event on Wednesday, Justice Veerappa had claimed that the corruption in Kerala stood at 10 per cent, while it is 63 per cent in Karnataka.
He had said that he was able to witness it after becoming the Upalokayukta.
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Recalling that the Congress government, after coming to power, formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the "40 per cent commission" charge it had made against the previous BJP government, Ashoka asked -- what probe will the government order, following the 63 per cent corruption allegation against it.
"If you have any shame left, resign and go... you formed SIT against us, constitute CBI probe on this (allegations against Congress govt), if you have guts, let the corruption in various departments come out in the open," he added.
According to the LoP, Karnataka has become an "ATM" for the Congress party to fund any state elections. Power goes to those who give more money to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
"For the recent Bihar elections, more than Rs 300 crore has gone from Karnataka itself. A breakfast meeting of Ministers was called to collect this money," he said, adding that Congress is synonymous with corruption, and corruption is Congress' home deity.
