Arvind Kejriwal Didn't Say Ambedkar Wrote the Constitution While Drunk

This story was originally published by Logically Facts, and republished by The Probe as part of the Shakti Collective.

What’s the Claim?

Multiple people posted on X claiming that former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal said that BR Ambedkar was drunk while drafting the Constitution of India. 

The posts include Arvind Kejriwal's nine-second black-and-white clip, in which he can be heard saying in Hindi (translated), "We were sitting there. Someone was saying that the person who wrote the Constitution must have been drunk when he did it." Archived versions of such posts can be found here, here, here, here and here. 

Ambedkar, an Indian social reformer and political leader, chaired the Committee that drafted the Constitution of India. However, we found that the video in question is from a 2012 speech in which Kejriwal criticised the Congress party for not adhering to its own constitution. In the clip, he refers to the Congress’ constitution, not India’s.

What Did We Find?

A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video led us to a speech uploaded by the AAP to their YouTube channel (archived here) on December 3, 2012. The video description indicates that it is from Arvind kejriwal's address at Rajghat, New Delhi, on November 25 of the same year. 

The viral clip appears at the 4:45 timestamp, but it is presented without the context provided by the preceding part of the video.

In the moments leading up to the viral segment, Kejriwal is heard discussing the AAP's constitution and how it differs from those of other political parties in India. He also pointed out that other parties do not adhere to their own constitutions. 

Specifically referencing the Indian National Congress, he noted that its members do not follow the party's constitution in their personal lives. He then mentioned that the Congress constitution bans the consumption of liquor, before joking that someone had commented it seemed as though it had been 'written by someone who was drunk.'

Thus, it is clear from the context provided by the extended video that Kejriwal was referring to the Congress party's constitution, not the Constitution of India. The comment was directed at the internal rules of a political party and was not related to Ambedkar.

Additionally, we found no news reports suggesting that Arvind Kejriwal made any such comment about the Constitution of India or about Ambedkar’s state—specifically, whether he was under the influence of alcohol—while drafting it.

The verdict

The viral clip is misrepresented to suggest Arvind Kejriwal commented on Ambedkar and the Constitution of India. In fact, he was referring to the Congress party’s constitution, noting its members disregard it, and relaying a remark about the state of its author.

This Fact Check story was originally published by Logically Facts, as part of the Shakti Collective. Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Probe staff.