CHANDIGARH: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday called upon the social media volunteers of the BJP, whom she called "jawans", to gear up to face the challenges posed by rival parties through social media by effectively disseminating the achievements, programmes and policies of the government and countering false, misleading and mischievous propaganda of the opposition.
Sitharaman said that after the Pulwama attack against a CRPF convoy and the Balakot air strike, the number of misleading videos had increased on social media. It was the duty of the social media cell of the BJP to effectively counter the misleading videos and posts, she said.
In order to make positive use of the social media during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the IT cell of the BJP organised a training camp for about 2,000 social media volunteers in Gurugram which was addressed by Sitharaman, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and others.
The Union minister gave them tips on the use of language and curbing anti-national activities while posting on various social media platforms. She called upon the social media volunteers to use technology to convey to the people the work done in the last five years by the party under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The volunteers should also detail the benefits given to various sections of society through welfare schemes launched by the BJP government at the Centre, she said.
Sitharaman said it was also the responsibility of the "social media jawans" to counter rumours and misconceptions being spread by the BJP's rivals on various social media platforms.
She said that the opposition was spreading rumours as part of a conspiracy against the government due to the growing popularity of the BJP.
It was the responsibility of the social media workers to stop these rumours and resolve any misunderstanding and promote the government's policies in the right way, Sitharaman said.
She advised the social media volunteers to keep a watch on the language they used. The language used by the BJP's "social media jawans" should be civilised, whatever the provocation, she said, adding that the BJP was committed to countering its opponents in a civilised manner.