The challenge of countering BJP's nationalism pitch, the need to talk about what the Congress stands for and being able to tap into the dissatisfaction of various sections of society. These were some of the areas of priority discussed at a social media workshop organised by the party in Haryana on Thursday ahead of assembly elections.
The workshop, held in Gurugram and attended by PCC chief Kumari Selja and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, saw a discussion on how the Congress should be dealing with the BJP's emphasis on nationalism in the coming elections.
Addressing the workshop, Rohan Gupta, who recently took over as head of the Congress's Social Media Department, said the party workers need to convey to the people that the Congress is a nationalistic party in the real sense of the word since it has emerged out of the independence movement. He emphasised that the party workers should be vocal about the nationalistic credentials of the Congress.
It was suggested during the discussion that the Congress workers not take names of BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to attack the ruling party. It was stressed that the workers should rather talk about issues and the shortcomings of the state government.
The workshop discussed ways to counter what was termed the BJP's 'fake news machinery'. A training programme was conducted on how to tackle fake news.
The party workers were asked to turn into 'Janata ke reporters', and shoot short videos of people from different sections of the society in which they talk about their issues. The TV interviews of customers of PMC Bank were cited, wherein they talk about their fears of losing their entire life's savings after the Reserve Bank of India cracked down on the bank. The workers were told to shoot videos using their mobile phones. They were also asked to make maximum use of Facebook Live to reach out to the electorate.
The participants at the workshop were asked to raise issues pertaining to their respective constituencies and convey the manifesto promises to the voters.
A social media workshop will be held in Mumbai on October 11.
