A misleading claim falsely attributing a statement about electricity bills to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has been debunked by BanglaFact, the fact-checking arm of the Press Institute Bangladesh. The quote, which claimed the impossibility of lower electricity bills while demanding more power, originated from a satirical page and was presented as a genuine statement on social media.
The image in question, showing a card with the disputed quote, has been circulating widely on Facebook. BanglaFact conducted a thorough investigation and found that the quote was never made by the Prime Minister. Instead, it came from a satire page known as 'Gupto TV', and was misleadingly shared as a true statement on various social media platforms.
The false attribution not only misrepresented the Prime Minister's stance but also created unnecessary public confusion. BanglaFact's investigation revealed that the image was taken out of context, aiming to spread misinformation about the government's stance on electricity bills.
The debunking of this misinformation is crucial for maintaining public trust in government communications. Ensuring accurate information is disseminated is vital for the democratic process in Bangladesh, where misinformation can lead to public unrest and misdirected policy demands.
