‘Viksit Bharat Sampark’ messages on WhatsApp spark controversy

Mohit Khanna

Patiala, March 18

The sudden popping of WhatsApp messages from the ‘Viksit Bharat Sampark’ along with a letter by Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking feedback and suggestions from the public has sparked controversy.

The AAP leadership in Patiala has raised objections to the message, labelling it as an indirect attempt to sway voters and misusing public data to conduct an opinion poll.

District president (urban) of the AAP Tejinder Mehta has denounced the message as political propaganda aimed at influencing voters. He expressed concerns that by gathering feedback, the Central Government could potentially exploit public data to gauge public sentiment and party’s prospects in specific constituencies for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Moreover, Mehta criticised the message for referencing the Government of India instead of being disseminated through the official BJP channel, deeming it a violation of the code of conduct.

He further stated that they had brought to the attention of the party high command the BJP’s use of WhatsApp for political propaganda.

The WhatsApp message, sent to several Indian WhatsApp users, by ‘Viksit Bharat Sampark’ sought feedback and suggestions from residents related to government schemes and policies.

The pdf file attached with the message is a letter from Prime Minister mentioning government schemes like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Ayushman Bharat, Matru Vandana Yojana, etc, and seeking suggestions from the people over government initiatives and schemes.