Congress To Hire And Train 5 lakh ‘Social Media Warriors’ To Counter BJP IT Cell

The Congress party is set to launch a helpline number and dedicated social media pages to bring on-board five lakh social media members to counter the BJP’s IT cell, India Today reports.

The publication reports that the Sonia Gandhi-led party is trying to revitalize the potential of social media platforms to swing public mood and opinions in their favour after two successive defeats in Lok Sabha polls.

The Congress is planning to recruit five lakh members to spread their message to the length and breadth of the country. Simultaneously, they will initiate a campaign to hire 50,000 office bearers in every district of India and 4.5 lakh more volunteers will assist these officeholders. They are looking to create a data bank of younger individuals interested in joining the party’s social media team.

One of the senior individuals from the Congress’ social media cell told India Today, “After careful scrutiny of those interested, interviews will be conducted to complete the recruitment followed by training to put the project in motion at the earliest.”

He added, “Party's #SpeakUp campaigns with videos from top leaders on various issues have performed beyond expectations, this has encouraged us to expand our digital footprint. After careful screening process, we will put together an army of social media warriors by imparting training in organizational skills and responsible use of technology to stop BJP propaganda.”

However, it is vital to note that the party has had little success on this front previously. Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Rahul Gandhi had kick-started a ‘Chowkidar Chor Hai’ campaign to malign Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image with respect to the deal regarding procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France.

However, the ruling party aptly countered that move by launching the ‘Main Bhi Chowkidar’ campaign that helped in reinvigorating the BJP’s supporters’ base ahead of the crucial general elections.