Kolkata, Mar 22 (PTI) Trinamool Congress on Thursday welcomed the Election Commission’s directive to the Centre to cease sending bulk WhatsApp messages to citizens under the ‘Viksit Bharat Sampark’ initiative, especially with the model code of conduct (MCC) already in force.
Talking to reporters, senior TMC leader and West Bengal Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya questioned why the government seemed unaware of the restrictions.
“It is good the EC has looked into the complaints and taken immediate steps as the MCC is already in force. But how come the Modi government was not aware of that?”, she asked.
She accused the Modi government of complacency and reiterated that the need for such messages indicates a desire to emphasise the achievements that may not have reached the people as claimed.
“If the fruits of development truly reached people, why the ruling party in Delhi had to take so much trouble to list its achievements in Viksit Bharat campaign,” she asked.
Asking the government to ensure there is “no further delivery” of the bulk WhatsApp messages to people, the EC on Thursday sought an “immediate” compliance report on the matter from the ministry of electronics and information technology.
The ministry clarified that the messages were sent before the model code of conduct came into force, citing system limitations for any delayed deliveries.
“… due to system architecture and network limitations it is possible that some letters have a delayed delivery,” the ministry said in a communication to the commission. PTI SUS MNB
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