BJP social media team faces scrutiny over old Godse, anti-Muslim, and misogynistic posts

The BJP’s newly appointed social media team has come under scrutiny after old social media posts by some of its members praising Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse and containing anti-Muslim and misogynistic remarks resurfaced online.

The criticism followed the party’s decision on Monday to overhaul its social media team.

Chhattisgarh leader Deepak Mhaskey replaced Amit Malviya as social media convener after Malviya headed the BJP’s social media operations for more than a decade. Priti Gandhi, Shivanand Dwivedi, Alok Bhatt and Arun Yadav were appointed as co-conveners.

Gandhi’s old posts included repeated expressions of admiration for Godse. In one 2013 post, she wrote that India needed “1000 Nathuram Godse's today”. Her X account now shows that it does not exist.

Yadav was removed as head of the BJP’s Haryana IT cell in 2022 after an old post containing derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad and Muslims resurfaced. His X account, along with Dwivedi’s, has since been made private.

Bhatt has also faced criticism over old posts targeting Muslims, women and political opponents. In one post, he used a derogatory term against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. He also described reservation as a major problem alongside “Jihadism” and criticised the Muslim vote bank.

Some newly appointed members have deleted older posts, made their accounts private or deactivated their accounts following the renewed scrutiny.

Senior advocate Vrinda Grover criticised Bhatt’s appointment, while Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale alleged that the appointees were hiding or deleting controversial posts.

The BJP has not publicly commented on the specific posts cited in the criticism. The reshuffle is part of a wider reorganisation of the party’s central leadership under president Nitin Nabin.