09 July,2018 10:10 AM IST | Pune | Chaitraly Deshmukh
Amit Shah
"Be aggressive on social media, especially against those who are anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). We are here to stay for the next 50 years, and Narendra Modi will be the Prime Minister again," said BJP national president Amit Shah, while addressing volunteers during a social media workshop in Pune yesterday.
Shah, who was in the city yesterday for several events, along with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited the annual palkhi procession of Dnyaneshwar and Tukaram Maharaj, where he later spoke on "Relevance of the thoughts of Arya Chanakya".
The two-hour workshop on social media, organised by the social media teams of BJP New Delhi and Mumbai, saw volunteers pouring in from various districts of Maharashtra. Held from 2 pm to 4 pm at Bal Gandharva Ranga Mandir, it was a closed-door event with no police or media allowed inside.
An 'aggressive' address
Volunteers, who were given entry based on ID cards, had been informed about the workshop three days in advance via SMS, and inside, were told to switch off mobile phones and not take any photos or video of the event. Addressing the volunteers, Shah said, "Social media must not remain a medium of merely entertainment; it should be used as a tool for gathering information, for observation, research, fact-checking, statistics and analysis. Volunteers need to handle it all in three schedules daily - morning, afternoon and evening.
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"Considering the future election trends, social media is all about the youth, which uses it to express its thoughts; and it is with the help of this that BJP will win in the coming election. Volunteers must use aggressive language, especially when someone is raising issues against the government or BJP. For this, we want trained youngsters. There should be focus and unity while using the online platform, as it is about the progress of the party, not an individual."
He continued, "For the last four-and-a-half years, we have been cleaning up the mess made by Congress. Those who've sold their souls and have no morals won't be able to derail this government's agenda. We are aware that several leaders from other parties are anti-government, but we don't care, as we know that we are going to be in power for the next 50 years. And we want cyber warriors to fight those spreading rumours and campaigning against the BJP with influence and strategy." "In 2014, BJP was alone and fought alone, a one-man army. We are gearing up again," added Shah.
CMspeak
On the occasion, CM Fadnavis said, "Social media is a big force for BJP; we will win the 2019 elections with its help. Congress, on the other hand, has been misusing it by cursing and abusing BJP, and levelling false allegations against it."
Also Read: Amit Shah guides Gujarat BJP on 2019 Lok Sabha poll strategy
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