India News | Chandigarh CEO Refers to ECI Complaint Regarding Bulk WhatsApp Messages on Govt Achievements
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The Chandigarh Chief Electoral Officer has referred to the Election Commission for "appropriate action" a complaint regarding bulk WhatsApp messages showcasing the central government's "achievements" under the banner of "Viksit Bharat Sampark".
Chandigarh, Mar 19 (PTI) The Chandigarh Chief Electoral Officer has referred to the Election Commission for "appropriate action" a complaint regarding bulk WhatsApp messages showcasing the central government's "achievements" under the banner of "Viksit Bharat Sampark".
The complaint was received through the cVIGIL mobile application of the poll panel, and an official statement on the matter did not mention the complainant.
According to the statement, after examination of the complaint, the district media certification and monitoring committee found prima facie evidence of a violation of the Model Code of Conduct, which came into force with the declaration of the Lok Sabha election schedule last week.
It appears that a government department used social media, specifically WhatsApp, to showcase the government's achievements after the declaration of the election schedule, the statement added.
Given the gravity of the matter, the Chief Electoral Officer of Chandigarh has referred this case to the ECI for appropriate action.
The matter pertains to a WhatsApp message, along with a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, received by a large number of people.
The Congress and the Trinamool Congress have earlier raised objections to the message and requested the Election Commission to act against this "blatant violation" of the Model Code of Conduct.
In a post on X on Monday, Congress MP Manish Tewari brought the matter to the attention of the poll panel and said "this unsolicited WhatsApp message came at 12.09 AM today. It seems to be from @GoI_MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology). Is this not a blatant violation of the both Model Code of Conduct & Right to Privacy."
"Where did @GoI_MeitY get my mobile number from? Which database are they unauthorisedly accessing?" Tewari said in the post.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)