Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan claimed on Saturday that social media was being abused to target political opponents, a day after a local Congress official was detained for allegedly harassing female family members of CPI(M) officials online.
Senior CPI(M) leader Vijayan attacked the Congress, alleging that large sums of money were being spent and specialised organisations were being sent to the state to influence citizens through social media and even traditional media.
‘(Assembly elections) last time, they didn’t succeed in getting seats.’ At the inauguration of a party facility in Trikaripur, Kasaragod, Vijayan declared, ‘This time, they have come prepared to distribute false information and hurl targeted, personal insults to damage the reputation of their political opponents.’
Additionally, he urged CPI(M) employees to expose individuals who harass others online and to refrain from any such online personal attacks. The state government’s development plans and activities were another topic the chief minister encouraged them to discuss.
‘Social media is being widely used today. However, we must not lose our civility while using it. Our discourse must be respectful and not aimed at insulting or targeting anyone personally,’ Vijayan said.
Abin Kodankara, a local Congress youth leader from Parassala in Thiruvananthapuram, was arrested by the Kerala Police on Friday. He is accused of sharing offensive photographs and remarks against various Left-wing officials’ families on the Facebook page “)’Kottayam Kunjachan.’
Regarding the incident, Vijayan claimed that female relatives of Left-wing figures are being crudely harassed online.
‘Recently, as part of a probe, a Congress leader was arrested and it shows how social media is being misused and lakhs of rupees being spent on attacking political opponents,’ the chief minister said.
Kodankara has multiple pictures of himself with different senior party figures and lists himself as the ward president of the Congress in his initial Facebook profile.
Amrutha Satheesan, the wife of CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member AA Rahim, filed a complaint against the Facebook page ‘Kottayam Kunjachan’ on September 17 alleging online harassment.
On the same page, online abuse was also directed at the late CPI(M) youth leader P Biju’s wife and a women leader of the party from Palakkad. They had also gone to the police, asking for action to be taken against those responsible for the crimes.
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