Modi government’s Whatsapp feedback request flares controversy
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A WhatsApp message from "Viksit Bharat Sampark" that came along with a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking for comments and suggestions from the public flared controversy. Opposition leaders allege that the government database and the messaging app have been utilized for political propaganda.
The Kerala state unit of the Congress referred to the automated message from a verified business account called Viksit Bharat Sampark and tagged WhatsApp's parent company Meta in a series of posts on X.
“The message talks about taking feedback from Citizens, but the attached PDF is nothing but political propaganda,” Kerala Congress posted.
“In the guise of feedback, the letter is nothing but claims that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making about his Govt as part of his campaign for the upcoming General Elections, misusing govt database,” it alleged, calling it “blatant misuse of WhatsApp for political propaganda.”
Kerala Congress also posted a screenshot of WhatsApp's policy regarding government and political use of its business platform, highlighting that the messaging app is not allowed to be used by political campaigns, political parties, politicians, or candidates.
“If that's the policy, how do you permit a political leader to do propaganda on your platform? Or do you have a separate policy for BJP?” it asked.
In February, BJP president J P Nadda had inaugurated 'Viksit Bharat Modi ki guarantee' video vans with the aim of collecting input from individuals across the country to formulate the manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Hindustan Times reported.