Amit Shah asks Bengal cyber cell to connect to 10 million people ahead of polls
He asked the cell to form a WhatsApp group for the cyber team in every polling station area. There are around 80,000 polling stations in the state where the current population is projected to be 101.9 million, according to the census department.
Union home minster Amit Shah on Thursday asked the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) cyber cell in Bengal to connect to 10 million mobile phone users in the state before the assembly polls due in March-April and post innovative messages by the thousands with touches of humour, satire and even horror.
“Only enthusiasm cannot win this election. We have to use intelligence and innovation,” said Shah.
He asked the cell to form a WhatsApp group for the cyber team in every polling station area. There are around 80,000 polling stations in the state where the current population is projected to be 101.9 million, according to the census department.
“After winning the Bengal polls, the BJP will win elections in Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and finally Kerala. The BJP flag will fly over the whole of India. Enter the mobile phones of people and their hearts. The goons of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) will not be able to stop you from doing that,” he said.
Addressing the BJP’s social media volunteers, who he called the party’s cyber warriors, at Kolkata’s Science City auditorium on Thursday evening, Shah said, “We managed to do this in Uttar Pradesh and won the polls. People were taken aback. Every message of ours used to reach five million people in one hour even before the media could post news items.”
Shah said, “Your work is divided into three parts. The first is to touch religious and social emotions. The second is to tell people how Bengal has slipped over the years from the position it once enjoyed. The third job is to highlight the attack on democratic rights of the people since the Left Front era and tell them how violence has affected their right to vote.”
“People will read your messages if you use graphics. If you post only text, nobody will read them. Use humour, satire and even horror by showing how BJP workers are being attacked. Tell people that our Independence has no meaning if people cannot observe Ram Navami and Durga Puja in Bengal. Ask people if they have to go to Pakistan to perform Durga Puja. Reach out to youths and teenagers. Tell them this is Mamata Banerjee’s vote bank politics,” said Shah.
“We need to expose the tukre tukre gang that started in Bengal and has reached the Jawaharlal Nehru University. They talk of dividing the country,” said Shah amid loud applause.
The BJP’s national information and technology cell chief Amit Malviya, state president Dilip Ghosh and former TMC minister Suvendu Adhikari were present at the closed-door conference.
“Only Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s projects can save Bengal. You have to send this message to every family. It can be done through proper planning. I want cyber teams to be formed at four levels. One team will do political analysis, create satirical messages and send it to the content making team. The content creators will pass on the new content to the third team which will spread the messages. The job of the fourth team will be to give feedback on the impact of those messages,” said Shah.
He asked the content makers to use the Centre’s project plans and those of the party. “Highlight the hurdles and raise local issues as well. There should be political satire. Share and spread the tweets of the BJP’s top leaders at the same time. There should be WhatsApp groups in every polling booth area,” said the BJP’s former national president.
Columnist and political analyst Suvashsis Maitra said, “There is nothing wrong in having a cyber-policy. But enthused by Shah’s directions some people may start spreading fake news. We have seen it in the past and it is not desirable. Our experience is not good so far.”
Shah also launched the new Modipara app designed to boost the poll campaign in Bengal. The app can be used to share content on Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. “Everybody present here should install it before reaching home,” said Shah.