# Boris Johnson did not criticise Modi, fact-check finds 2026-08-26T20:52:05+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet A viral social media post falsely claimed former British PM Boris Johnson said Jawaharlal Nehru had guts while PM Narendra Modi looks for shortcuts. The clip was circulated after Johnson spoke at The Economic Times World Leaders Forum in Delhi on August 21 and 22. India Today Fact Check reviewed the full video of Johnson's interview on the forum's YouTube channel. Around 30 minutes in, Johnson narrated an anecdote about Queen Elizabeth II recalling a conversation with Nehru in 1952, in which Nehru said India would always side with Russia. Johnson did not compare Nehru and Modi or criticise the Indian PM at any point. In his 2024 memoir "Unleashed", Johnson described PM Modi as a "change maker" and wrote about feeling an amazing energy when they first met. The claim that Johnson attacked Modi's foreign policy is false. ## Indian Opinion Analysis This is not the first time a clipped or out-of-context video has been used to create a false narrative about a political figure. Social media platforms have struggled to curb such misinformation, especially when the original footage is widely available. The fact-check relied on the complete interview published by The Economic Times, which shows Johnson discussing historical continuity in India's foreign policy rather than making any personal comparison. Readers should watch for platform action on the viral post, which remains online as of August 27. ## Coverage - indiatoday.in Straight fact-check with no editorial slant, leads with the false claim then disproves it with evidence. This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Boris Johnson, India Today, Jawaharlal Nehru, Narendra Modi, The Economic Times Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/boris-johnson-did-not-criticise-modi-fact-check-finds/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/boris-johnson-did-not-criticise-modi-fact-check-finds/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/