Modi sold seven public entities violating his own pledge?

checkthis · automated fact-check · How we check

MisleadingTrick: Fake quote

Checked 16 Oct 2026

The claim that the government sold all seven listed entities is misleading. While Air India, NINL, and IDBI Bank were privatized or approved for sale, the sale of CEL was cancelled in 2022, and the government retained ownership of major ports and state telecom companies. Furthermore, the quote attributed to PM Modi is altered; he actually recited a poem saying 'I will not let the country be erased' (mitne dunga), not 'sold' (bikne dunga).

Main source: Simpleflying

Real video, twisted story.

The post we checked

List is long — IDBI, Air India, NINL, CEL, Ports, Airports, Telecom... But the line at bottom — "Main desh nahi bikne dunga" Promises vs privatization — what's…

The trick: Fake quote

It puts words in someone's mouth that they never said.

""में देश नहीं बिकने दूंगा""

The Reel alters a word in a poem to attribute a phrase to Narendra Modi that he never said, while falsely claiming the government sold entities and sectors that were never privatized or had their sales cancelled.

How this trick works and how to answer it →

What we checked

✓

Under Narendra Modi's government, Air India was privatized.Simpleflying

✓

Under Narendra Modi's government, Neelachal Ispat Nigam Limited (NINL) was privatized.ThePrint

✓

Under Narendra Modi's government, IDBI Bank was privatized.Mint

Under Narendra Modi's government, Central Electronics Limited (CEL) was privatized.No reliable source found for this yet.

What the other side said

Points the Reel argues against or mocks, checked too.

Narendra Modi publicly stated "Main desh nahi bikne dunga" (I will not let the country be sold).Not confirmed

What the Reel doesn't tell you

The government cancelled the strategic sale of Central Electronics Limited (CEL) and disqualified the winning bidder.

What each side says

critics of privatizationCritics argue that public sector undertakings are national assets that should not be sold regardless of their financial performance. The Hindu

defenders of privatizationDefenders argue that privatization improves efficiency and economic growth, asserting that the government should not be running commercial businesses. Scroll

How it plays you

Overgeneralised list: "📌 Modi Sold CEL 📌 Modi Sold Ports 📌 Modi Sold Telecom". It presents cancelled sales and non-privatised state sectors as completed sell-offs to make the government's privatisation drive appear absolute.

Short version

⚠️ MISLEADING 👉 The claim that the government sold all seven listed entities is misleading. 👉 While Air India, NINL, and IDBI Bank were privatized or approved for sale, the sale of CEL was cancelled in 2022, and the government retained ownership of major ports and state telecom companies. 👉 Furthermore, the quote attributed to PM Modi is altered; he actually recited a poem saying 'I will not let the country be erased' (mitne dunga), not 'sold' (bikne dunga). 🎭 Trick: Fake quote 📰 Sources: The Tribune, India Today 🔎 Full check: send this post to @checkthis.chat

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