New Delhi: The Congress is getting aggressive in countering fake news against its top leaders and will soon set up quick response teams across the country to deal with the menace. As part of the move, the party will set up structural systems from the central level down to the district level in the states to take quick legal action against fake news.
The plan will particularly be implemented in the three states and one Union Territory, which will go to polls over the next few months. The move to get aggressive comes in the wake of the new social media policy of the Uttar Pradesh government, which has prescribed action against social media posts considered anti-national.
“Fake news on social media has become a big problem. We will soon set up quick response teams to deal with the issue,” AICC legal department head Abhishek Singhvi told ETV Bharat.
Today a lot of garbage floats on social media. Recently, our teams got FIRs registered in some fake news instances and the posts were removed. But, we need to expand across the country. We will also be focusing on the issues arising out of the forthcoming Assembly elections in Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and UT J&K,” he said.
Singhvi, who recently got elected to the Rajya Sabha again from Telangana, was also named the head of the legal department, which had been dealing with hundreds of complaints linked to the Election Commission and also the Right to Information Act.
The party’s social media cell had been countering fake news over the past few years, but now Congress feels the need to pursue them legally.
Besides dealing with fake news on social media, the legal department would also take prompt action and provide counsel to party leaders, who often face the wrath of law enforcement agencies or need to fight legal battles over policy issues.
The recent example is that of Karnataka Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shiv Kumar for whom Singhvi appeared as a counsel in the High Court. The party had also protested against the arrest of Chhattisgarh leader Devendra Yadav.
“We have been raising the issue of crimes against women in Uttar Pradesh as well as scams in teacher recruitment. How will such items be categorised? If we expose the government's shortcomings, will it be a crime? the new social media policy in UP is nothing, but slamming democracy and rewarding those who praise the government policies. But, this will not hide the truth,” AICC social media head Supriya Shrinate said, adding, “First let them define what is anti-national.”
While the BJP recently alleged the Congress was spreading fake news, a purported letter, which claimed the grand old party, was planning to divide the Hindus turned out to be fake.
In the past, the social media cell has been fighting fake news posts about Rahul Gandhi, who has been at the receiving end of the saffron party’s IT cell. “Such instances would not be tolerated now,” said a senior AICC functionary.
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