BJP’s Sambit Patra alleges Congress and its ‘backed influencers’ use foreign-based social media accounts to set a narrative against India, claiming X’s new location feature has exposed their ‘design’ to influence people from abroad.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sambit Patra on Thursday accused the Indian National Congress (INC) of using “foreign influencers” to set a narrative in India and influence people to against the country, alleging that the new location feature on X (formerly Twitter) has exposed multiple congress accounts and other such “party backed influencers.”
According to Patra, multiple Congress leaders and the party’s state accounts were showing their location outside India, however he also said that the location was changed after a while. He alleged that there are “Congress-backed influencers,” and news organisations such as Caravan India magazine, and fact checker Alt News which showed their accounts based out of India. “Many people changed their location after the option was given. You can change it, conceal it. So when many people got to know that their location is being shown to the outside, then they changed it. And some people put it in optional,” Patra alleged.
‘Chori was caught’: Patra on Congress leaders’ X locations
According to him, Congress leader Pawan Khera’s account is showing it based on United States. While Khera’s account shows that the account is based in United States, and is connected via “India app store,” X also says that the region “may not be accurate” due to the account possibly using a proxy such as a VPN which may change the country displayed. He also raised similar allegations against Himachal Congress account. “Pawan Khera is a big Congress leader, but it shows that his account is based in United States. It has come from one of our party sources. Another account is Maharashtra Congress, account based in Ireland. I checked just before this, they changed it to India now. But at that time when the issue was raised then it was based in Ireland, their chori was caught,” Patra mentioned.
‘Division of labour to set narrative’
He further hit out at Rahul Gandhi, claiming that there is “division of labour” happening between party backed influencers from across the world. “Rahul Gandhi is not just going abroad and talking against the country. He not only meets the Gen-Z and creates an atmosphere against the country. With planning, with design, there has been division of work done within Congress. There has been. Influencers from across the world, who are not our voters are trying to set narrative in India,” he said.
Allegations against fact-checkers and media outlets
Similarly, he alleged that fact checker Alt News had its account based in United States and changed it later on. The Caravan India, a monthly magazine’s account, is also alleged to be from outside India. “Another account is Himachal Congress, connected via Android app. Account is based in India but it is connected via Thailand. Talking about other influencers such as Nidhi Singh Rathore, Arpit Sharma Alt News co-founder Prateek Sinha, he claimed that “West Congress influencers” are trying to set a narrative in India. “Prateek Sinha, I was given information on AltNews, it has its account based in United States. This is the screenshot when the feature was started by X. Caravan India too, that’s their address, and account based in United States. It has come to my attention that they recently changed it. These are big names, who are west Congress influencers,” he said.
‘Hiding Pakistan location’
According to him, X has allowed certain users to “hide” their true location, so that they don’t have to mention their location as Pakistan. “There are multiple names like that, and their accounts are in Pakistan, Bangladesh. To hide the name of Pakistan, there has been an option given that instead of giving the correct location you can give Southeast Asia region. So many used that, whereas their location is Pakistan,” he alleged.
X feature ‘may not be accurate’
Among the accounts mentioned by Patra, only two accounts, one by Nidhi Singh Rathore and another of Pawan Khera, showed its location to be outside of India, with Khera’s account showing a VPN being used. X had recently launched a new location feature which can allow people to see the location the account is based on. However, X warns that certain location “may not be accurate,” either due to the changing location of the account or temporary relocation. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)