New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath on Friday, August 6, asked Bharatiya Janata Party workers to rein in the “belagaam ghora” that is social media right now and to also begin countering the Pegasus row without waiting for an auspicious time to do so, Indian Express has reported.
The Hindi phrase translates belagaam ghora translates to ‘unbridled horse’.
Addressing a workshop of the IT and social media cell of the BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit, Adityanath asked them to highlight the achievements of the BJP-led governments, the news agency PTI has reported.
“We do not try to bring the truth in front of people and this is our shortcoming. The opposition takes advantage of it,” he said.
Express has reported that at the meeting, Adityanath asked workers to be “careful,” warning them of media trials.
Adityanath, says the report, said that an “analysis” had shown that social media criticism of a “local incident” in Uttar Pradesh supposedly began in “other countries” and was started by those with “no links to the state.” The report does not mention Adityanath having gone into any further details on the incident or the alleged outrage that followed it.
“That is why it is important to train and prepare to control this unbridled horse,” he said, according to the report.
Pegasus
Express also reported Adityanath as having asked BJP workers to start “countering” the revelations of the Pegasus Project without waiting for the right time to do this. The chief minister used the word ‘mahurat‘ meaning ‘auspicious time’ for this.
The Pegasus Project is a collaborative investigation by 17 news organisations in 10 countries – including The Wire in India – into a leaked database of phone numbers selected by clients of the Israeli NSO Group, for possible surveillance. The phones of a number of journalists, activists, lawyers and political participants in the opposition, have been successfully hacked with the spyware, The Wire and Amnesty International’s security lab has found after investigations.
While the NSO Group has claimed that it only sells to “vetted governments,” the Union government has cited an RTI response of 2019 where there is no denial of the government purchasing Pegasus to say that it is “sufficient” to deny claims of any “association” between the government of India and Pegasus.
Since the The Wire published more articles revealing possible and successful surveillance of over 160 people in India, the government has refused to discuss the matter in parliament in spite of more than two weeks’ of opposition demands for the same.
It is not clear what the Uttar Pradesh chief minister meant by “countering” the Pegasus findings and why he has tasked BJP workers with the same.
Adityanath also reportedly decried the fact that social media did not have anyone at the helm, unlike print and television media, which has owners and editors.
PTI has reported that the chief minister also said if anyone discusses the issue of farmers on social media, BJP workers should highlight that more than Rs 1.40 lakh crore has been paid to 45 lakh sugarcane farmers.