"What about 1 crore WhatsApp messages that have already been sent?": TMC MP after EC directs IT Ministry to halt Viksit Bharat messages
Mar 21, 2024
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], March 21 : Trinamool Congress MP Santanu Sen on Thursday questioned the timing of the Election Commission's directive to immediately halt the delivery of Viksit Bharat messages over WhatsApp and asked "what about 1 crore WhatsApp messages that have already been sent?"
After ECI directed the Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology to immediately halt the delivery of Viksit Bharat messages over WhatsApp, TMC MP questioned the timing and said, "What about 1 crore WhatsApp messages that have already been sent?"
"If the EC is neutral, it should take action on this. After the Model Code of Conduct was implemented, the Prime Minister went ahead with this act for publicity," Santanu Sen told ANI.
TMC Rajya Sabha MP further said that the poll body in the country has now become an election wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party. and neutral elections are not possible under ECI.
"EC has been reduced to an election wing by the BJP. The BJP has a greater political vendetta over Bengal because they cannot win Bengal in elections, which is why they are using all sorts of tactics. Neutral elections cannot be conducted under the EC, that is why we demand the interference of the SC, especially for elections in West Bengal," he said.
Earlier today, the Election Commission of India on Thursday directed the Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology to immediately halt the delivery of Viksit Bharat messages over WhatsApp.
The Commission had received several complaints that such messages highlighting the government's initiatives are still being delivered on citizens' phones despite the announcement of the General Elections 2024 and the Model Code of Conduct entering into force.
"In response, MeitY informed the commission that although the letters were sent out before MCC came into force, some of them could have possibly been delivered to recipients with a delay because of systemic and network limitations," the ECI said.
The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into effect on March 16 after the Election Commission of India announced the dates for elections to the Lok Sabha and four state assemblies, with Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar asking all political parties and their leaders to strictly adhere to the poll code.
