A photo circulating on social media claims to show E. Vachira Velu, the DMK leader and current Tamil Nadu Minister for Public Works Department, pulling a rickshaw carrying the late M Karunanidhi, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
The post alleges that Velu, who recently faced raids by the Enforcement Directorate, went from being a rickshaw puller to a cabinet minister with billions in assets. However, a reverse image search revealed that the photo was actually taken during a campaign for the 1991 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections and the rickshaw puller is not identified as EV Velu. According to news site Vikatan, Velu’s political journey began when he contested and won on an AIADMK ticket in the 1984 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
He later joined the DMK in 2000 and achieved consecutive victories in the Assembly elections. There are no reports of Velu’s involvement in the 1991 elections campaign, and journalists from Tamil Nadu have confirmed that the rickshaw puller in the photo is not Velu. In conclusion, the viral post claiming that the man pulling the rickshaw is EV Velu is fake..
