NEW DELHI: Days after the Model Code of Conduct for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections came into force, the Opposition leaders and digital rights activists have flagged WhatsApp messages from the Union government seeking feedback from netizens on its governance initiatives.As WhatsApp messages on ‘Viksit Bharat Sampark’ along with a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi started flooding smartphones, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor took to X, accusing the government of blatant misuse of machinery and data to serve the partisan political interests of the BJP. He invited Election Commission’s attention to the matter.In the online letter addressed to “My dear family members,” Modi said, “I look forward to your ideas, suggestions and support as we work to fulfil the resolve of building a Viksit Bharat. Our partnership is at the threshold of completing a decade. The trust and support of 140 crore Indians inspires and motivates me.” Tharoor also shared a LinkedIn post by UAE-based consultant Anthony J Permal. “Yesterday, multiple nationalities in the UAE received a ‘personal’ WhatsApp message from Indian PM Modi, in blatant violation of privacy laws and etiquette. It was received by thousands of non-Indians on their private mobile numbers. How did the BJP and the Indian government get a hold of our numbers? And how can it just blatantly spam non-Indians?” he wrote.
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