‘Not said by me’: Ratan Tata says viral post on using Aadhaar for liquor sales is fake news

Social media is filled with rich information, but one can easily fall prey to the perils of fake news.

Now, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons Ratan Tata has debunked a statement attributed to him on the sale of liquor using Aadhaar cards. The business tycoon has flagged it saying it is “fake”, and clarified that it was not said by him.

The statement, which is widely being shared online along with picture, read: “Liquor sales should be sold through Aadhaar card. Government food subsidies should be stopped for alcohol buyers. Those who have the facility to buy alcohol can definitely buy food. When we give them free food they buy alcohol.”

Taking to Instagram, the 83-year-old industrialist clarified, “This was not said by me. Thank you.”

This is not a one-off case. Earlier, Mahindra Group’s Chairman Anand Mahindra took Twitter to bust a similar claim.

A photo quote doing the rounds on the Internet claimed Mahindra had said: “Stockmarket trading should be made compulsory in middle school education”.

Mahindra admitted he was flattered that people believed his statement were quotable, but added, “The downside is wrongly attributed quotes!”

Adding that he strongly believes “in the power of social media to democratize information & share knowledge”, Mahindra said he would always try his best to fight misinformation.

As both Tata and Mahindra have a vast following on social media, also having the power to influence, netizens were glad the duo corrected the viral posts.