Congress Plans Rs.100 Crore for Social Media

The innovative use of social media being one of the reason of the recent success of BJP at Gujarat elections, Congress also comprehended that Social Media is not only being used for the purpose of reaching out to the people, it is also being used to gather public opinion.

The telecom minister, Kapil Sibal said,

Congress would require Rs. 100 crore during the next 18 months - till the Lok Sabha elections - to counter the main opposition BJP in the field of social media.

at the session on emerging political challenges at the party's Chintan Shivir at Jaipur on Saturday.

Sibal pointed out to the extensive use of social media done by BJP and  also the pro-active approach to social media by Congress. He also referred to the anti government saturation bombarding on social media following the recent bus rape case and earlier during the Anna Hazare which led to the agitation for a Jan Lokpal Bill which led into street protests.

With the increasing penetration of the internet across social classes, the Congress should not be squeezed out of that space.

The BJP had a hundred people tweeting against the Congress in the morning. By afternoon, the tweets would become news on TV channels and by the next day, they became headlines in the print media.

Sibal said.

Science and technology minister, S Jaipal Reddy made two significant points. He said,

The Congress would have to undertake an exercise in social engineering in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in order to establish itself in those states. He said that OBCs should be actively wooed.

Among others who spoke were Dijvijay Singh, who heads the committee on communications strategy, and information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari.

Social media is on a roll and it presents an endless number of possibilities to promote your product, business, cause or even your own self to the whole world. After Politicians, now its turn for the Political parties to make their mark.