Fact Check: Did American Cartoonist Ben Garrison Create the Cartoon Disparaging BJP and Congress?

Several netizens are sharing an image on social media which claims that it has been created by American artist Ben Garrison who is famous for portraying conservative figures and right-wing politicians. A cartoon has been posted online disparaging India’s main political parties i.e Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress. The various versions of cartoon show cow excreting into a bucket, which represents Indian people. The cow is seen as a sacred animal by Hindu, and various versions of the cartoon were used to criticise both the major political parties. Cartoons Don't Hurt, They Have Healing Power: Narendra Modi.

LatestLY Fact Check found the image to be misleading as the original version of this cartoon was created by Amal Medhi, a cartoonist from West Bengal, that criticised the Indian government as being beneficial to 'Foreign investor' at the expense of 'Indian people.' When Medhi was contacted by news agency Agence France-Presse, he said he was not behind the doctored cartoons.

Doctored image:

Original Cartoon Posted by Amal Medhi:

Ben Garrison also in a tweet clarified himself and said, "No- I have never drawn any cartoons on India politics- there are some cartoons with my sig going around- Not mine."

Who is Ben Garrison?

Ben Garrison is a popular political cartoonist famous for its portraits on conservative figures and right-wing politicians such as US President Donald Trump. Garrison a graduate from Angelo State University in Texas wanted to pursue a career in fine arts but later began working as a graphic artist. His Cartoons likes "Make The First Lady Great Again!" and "Rothschilds" drew international attention and made him popular.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 21, 2018 12:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).