Fact Check: Did Modi Say He Used To Steal During Childhood?

New Delhi: A short 9-second video has gone viral on social media showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling himself a “thief.”

In the video, he can be heard saying: “If my mother would have stopped me when I was stealing small things, I would not have become such a big robber.” (translated from Hindi)

However, the part of the speech has been taken out-of-context and clipped to make such a claim.

A reverse image search reveals that this speech was made during a campaign in Siliguri on April 10. The video is available on BJP’s West Bengal page.

In the video, Modi can be heard narrating a story from 47.30 minute: “Brothers and sisters, when I was a child, I heard a story. In that story, a very famous dacoit was sentenced to death. He was asked what’s your last wish? He replied that I want to meet my mother. So, the government decided that before his execution, he must be allowed to meet his mother”.

He continued, “So, when he met his mother, he attacked her and cut her nose. He did that before going to be hanged. So, people asked him why did you do that? He then replied saying: If my mother would have stopped me when I was stealing small things, I would not have become such a big robber and I wouldn’t have been hanged.”

Taking a dig at Mamata Banerjee, he says, “Didi is saying if someone is taking 100, 200 or 500 then what’s the deal?”