Facebook likes

pages, to which only a few responded in the affirmative.

“The PM offered to address, through live video call, the mandal-level workers in our constituencies if we achieved this target,” the BJP MP said on condition of anonymity. “He was particular that these likes should be ‘genuine’ likes, and should not be ‘bought’ through marketing companies offering such services,” a second BJP MP said.

The prime minister’s stress on the importance of using social media effectively comes nearly a year ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It coincides with government’s warning of consequences to Facebook if the election process in India was interfered with, in light of the political storm over alleged breach of FB data by election management company Cambridge Analytics to influence poll outcomes in other countries including the US.

At Friday’s dinner, Hiren Joshi, an officer on special duty (Information Technology) in the Prime Minister’s Office, made a presentation to the parliamentarians on how to use the NaMo App for dissemination of information related to the achievements of the government in different sectors, said another MP present at the meeting.

BJP MPs Poonam Mahajan, Pratap Simha and Rajiv Pratap Rudy were held up by Joshi examples of MPs who were using social media effectively, said the first leader quoted above.

The controversy has shocked the Australian cricket fraternity, with the likes of Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Allan Border and Michael Clarke all expressing their anger and disappointment.