Jharkhand: Congress complains Election Commission against BJP for social media post

Ranchi, November 17: Congress has filed a fresh complaint with the Election Commission (EC) against the Jharkhand BJP, demanding the blocking of the party’s Facebook and ‘X’ accounts.

The complaint, filed by party general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh, accuses the BJP of posting a video that spreads a “false narrative” against a religious community. Congress is also seeking an order for the removal of all “communal, divisive, and malicious” videos shared by the party on its social media platforms.

Ramesh’s complaint highlights the BJP’s failure to take down a previous video, despite Congress’s earlier complaint, which led to a case being registered under the EC’s directives.

The new complaint is based on a video recently uploaded by the BJP, which Ramesh claims maligns the I.N.D.I.A. bloc partner Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), suggesting it favors a minority community. The video also features an actor resembling Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

Ramesh criticised the video as part of a deliberate attempt to influence voters and dissuade them from supporting opposition parties. He described the BJP’s actions as a continuation of a divisive campaign to propagate a communal narrative. “The malafide motive and messaging behind the video is very clear,” Ramesh said, adding that the BJP had become emboldened due to the lack of action on their previous complaint.

In addition to blocking the BJP’s social media handles, Congress is urging the EC to delete all similar content and register an FIR against those responsible for managing the party’s online accounts. This complaint follows a similar issue raised by Congress on November 10, when they had approached the EC regarding a BJP video that allegedly made anti-tribal allegations against leaders from the JMM, Congress, and RJD.