Fact Check: Did Asle Toje Endorse PM Narendra Modi For Nobel Peace Prize? Read To Find Out

Reports have been going viral claiming that Nobel committee deputy leader Asle Toje endorsed PM Modi as a major contender for the Nobel Peace Prize 2023.

Toje noted that PM Modi intervened on a positive note in the Russia-Ukraine crisis warning Russia against using nuclear weapons.

Nobel Peace Prize 2023: When it comes to popular and powerful world leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ranks among them without any doubt. Be it supply of Covid-19 vaccines or speaking against the Russia-Ukraine war, PM Modi has established himself as a voice that global leaders acknowledge. Reports have been going viral claiming that Nobel committee deputy leader Asle Toje endorsed PM Modi as a major contender for the Nobel Peace Prize. It may be recalled that Toje is currently visiting India and during his interviews with different media houses, he has praised the work done by PM Narendra Modi.

"India’s intervention to remind Russia of the consequences of using Nuclear weapons was very helpful. India didn’t speak in a loud voice, didn’t threaten anybody, they just made their position known in a friendly manner. We need more of that in international politics," said Toje. 

Talking to a newspaper, Toje said that India is going to be the next superpower of the century. "India is one of the hopes for mankind. India is a country of ancient history having very deep philosophical insights and peaceful religions. I am very happy to see that this has filtered into the Indian government. I am very happy to see that India is ready to shoulder its global responsibility and be a force for peace, equity and fairness. India's power is growing. India is taken more seriously now than in the past. I am happy to see that PM Modi is using his power to give back to mankind....China and India are going to be the next superpowers," said Toje while praising the spiritual side of India. 

He also said that it's not a small thing if PM Modi is taking out time for helping the world restore peace. Toje noted that PM Modi intervened on a positive note in the Russia-Ukraine crisis warning Russia against using nuclear weapons. 

However, when asked about PM Modi as a contender for the nobel peace prize, Toje said that any leader in the world should aspire for the peace prize. "Any leader should try to do more for peace in the world to deserve this award. But, the work comes first and the world comes later," said Toje.

Clarifying about a viral tweet claiming PM Modi as a Nobel peace prize contender, Toje told ANI that the tweet was fake. "I am the deputy leader of the Nobel committee. A fake news tweet was sent out. We should treat it as all fake news. It's fake. Let's not discuss it. Let's not give it any energy or oxygen. I categorically deny that I said anything resembling what was in that tweet." 

Asle Toje is a noted Norwegian academic visiting India. I was puzzled he had said that Mr. Modi was the strongest contender for the Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. Toje has categorically denied saying this. While his 'statement' was pumped by GodiMedia, his denial is being ignored. pic.twitter.com/J9o56eM0uU — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) March 16, 2023

This year’s Nobel Prize announcements will take place 2–9 October. All of the announcements will be streamed live at nobelprize.org. The Nobel Peace prize will be announced on October 6.

The 2023 Nobel Prize announcement dates have been revealed. This year’s #NobelPrize announcements will take place from 2-9 October and will be broadcast live on https://t.co/3VsHzjF7LK. Read more: https://t.co/qHw1d4M47D pic.twitter.com/OeEWWcqHRU — The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) March 10, 2023

Thus, it is clear that while Toje heaped praise on the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, he did not say a word about PM Modi as a contender for the Nobel Peace Prize. Thus, the news reports were fake.