After 4 June 2024, the supporters and staunch BJP backers have gone ballistic about BJP IT Cell in abusing and calling them left right & centre. It indeed is completely justifiable due their inefficient and incompetent performance in the last 10 years and particularly in the last couple of years.
But, in this outrage it shouldn’t be missed that it is not only the failure of the BJP IT cell alone but also the failure of the government’s communication and their relationship with BJP IT cell. The BJP IT Cell cannot alone defend the government, they need to have proper facts and proofs to counter the fake narrative and news being used against the government. It is the duty of the government communication team to pass on relevant information to the IT cell for the same. It lacks not only essential data, but also timely data to counter the oppositions, fake news peddler and the propagandists, on various social mediums. The failure in this has led the BJP to where it is in the current scenario, especially after this year’s Lok Sabha elections results.
Let’s highlight only 3 pointers which would help the readers to decide whether the above argument is right or not.
1) There were 1000s of fake news, spread around by the opposition before and during this elections, out of which only 557 were fact checked by the PIB (falls under ministry of I&B) in 2023 and 130 were fact checked in 2024 (until 31st May’24).
Surely the blame needs to be with the BJP IT cell as well but what was the government’s communication department doing, with all the resources and backing that it has, wasn’t it their duty as well to burst the fake news and counter it with facts, and then rely on the BJP IT cell to utilise its strength to make it reach to the masses, which is the general public and also their own supporter base, not only for the right reasons but also, for their trust.
2) There was an initiative by this government of providing Factsheets about its work, policies and governance that was working fine until Aug 2023 and then came to a near standstill and became dormant. Not a single factsheet was provided to either the BJP IT cell but also to public forum for the general public to at least have a look until very recently this year from March 15th till June 7th ‘24. This led to the widespread mis-information on many schemes and policies of govt.
3) The much discussed GST and the hike in the rates on essential commodities after implication of GST, was another fake narrative which was being circulated and amplified time and again, created doubts among the urban middle class society. There wasn’t any clarification either from the Finance Ministry, which could have been easily done by making a single PDF of all the facts and figures on the Pre GST and Post GST rates. The least effort that was taken by the PM and the different ministers after the election results, where they shared the article by BUSINESS STANDARD on, “comparison of indirect taxes rate on essential commodities Pre & Post implementing GST”, as against what was being mis-spread.
These were only 3 examples to give a hint on the incompetencies of the communication department and different ministries of this government as well.
If we still let alone blame the BJP IT cell, the onus surely lies first with these ministries.
Way Forward :
To make BJP IT cell competent there is an urgent need to revamp its structure with modern and agile working forces. Secondly, by giving them timely and correct information for prompt actions in combating these situations which are acting as obstacles against the working of this government. If this is not done then the doom is very near not only for BJP IT Cell but the government and in general for whole society
There should be an urgent revamp in the I&B ministry as well, it needs to be fast paced with countering the facts and figures being wrongly represented by the anti government forces and the oppositions. Also the gap between the BJP IT cell and the govt. I&B and other ministries need to be bridged in times like these.