The state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has formed a dedicated social media campaign team comprising 12 members to counter what it describes as “negative propaganda” that targets it on religious lines.
In a release today, BJP state president Ernest Mawrie said that the party is fighting the upcoming state election, due to be held by March 2023, purely on a development agenda but is facing flak from other parties based on the BJP’s Hindu nationalist foundations.
The BJP social media team also has 12 district convenors and 55 constituency monitoring teams that are working to snip any false messaging in the bud. As an example, Mawrie said that some “political opportunists” had shared a morphed image from 2018 in order to try and spread hatred against a particular religion and its followers. Those circulating “false propaganda” will face legal consequences, he warned.
“BJP is fighting the upcoming polls with its core focus on development and social issues which are affecting the youth and community,” a BJP press release today stated. “Playing the religion card is done by parties whose motive is to try and win for self-gain only wherein pro-state and people’s issues are completely sidelined. The motivating factor about the social media team is that it is not a hired team but a voluntary service offered by party karyakartas.”
Mawrie also said that the social media team will try to push the BJP’s own messaging, highlighting the boons that Meghalaya has received from the BJP-led central government.
“This will show the real ground work being done by the BJP at the Centre while also providing food for thought about bringing the BJP to power in the state. A double combination of BJP at the Centre and state can be extremely beneficial for the people and all-round progress will no longer be a dream but a reality. This will help fulfil people’s aspirations and put the state right back on track in terms of all round growth and development,” he added.
