Siddaramaiah’s ‘London Book of World Records’ tweet gets fact-checked online: ‘Made in Karol Bagh’

Online users also mocked the inconsistent language on the certificate, suggesting it was likely created locally rather than by an international organisation.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s celebratory post about the state achieving two “world records” soon turned into an embarrassment after social media users and leaders of opposition parties questioned its credibility and flagged it as a fake certificate. The records, claimed to be issued by the London Book of World Records (LBWR), were found to be linked to a company that was dissolved earlier this year.

The CM’s post remained on X for nearly two hours before it was deleted.(HT_PRINT)

The CM had posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday that the state’s Shakti Scheme had been recognised by LBWR for enabling the highest number of free bus rides for women, 564.10 crore rides in total. He also stated that the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) had received 464 national and international honours since 1997. However, the announcement quickly came under scrutiny.

BJP’s Amit Malviya mocked the Congress government for falling for what appeared to be a fake certification. “A BIG embarrassment for Congress. Yesterday, no less than Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah proudly claimed that two state schemes were recognised by the London Book of Records. Turns out — it’s FAKE. Someone literally conned the Congress,” Malviya posted on X, highlighting spelling and grammatical errors in the certificates.

The Janata Dal (Secular) also joined the criticism, pointing out that the UK firm “London Book of World Records” had no physical office or operations. The party claimed that the company merely sold “Gold, Silver and Platinum record packages”.

Several users on X pointed out that the London Book of World Records was no longer an active company in the UK. Official records from the UK Companies House show that it was dissolved on 15 July 2025.

Online users also mocked the poor formatting and inconsistent language on the certificate, suggesting it was likely created locally rather than by a reputed international organisation. One user commented, “Someone in Karol Bagh has drafted it,” further fuelling online trolling.

The CM’s post remained on X for nearly two hours before it was deleted. By then, screenshots had already spread widely across social media, turning what was meant to be a moment of celebration into a major political embarrassment for the state government.