Social media fuels silent movement
The Maratha agitation in Maharashtra is being run by an invisible social media army.
As many as 50,000 WhatsApp groups, website, a face book page, Twitter handles, mobile app all with the name of Maratha Kranti Morcha managed by around 1000 youngsters are the drivers behind the huge silent protest marches by the Maratha community that haven taken over the political and social landscape of Maharashtra in the last month and a half.
Insiders told HT that the movement, which initially sought to mobilise the community on What’sApp, has turned into a full-fledged social media exercise that now also includes use of drone cameras to get live feed of rallies.
“In the beginning, when protests were held in Aurangabad and Osmanabad, mainstream media ignored and shunned us. That’s when we decided to rely on social media to spread the mass movement. And we have proven that social media platform can be used in a positive way. The mainstream media is too biased,” said Bhaiya Patil, a coordinator from the social media team of the movement.
THE CENTRAL COMMAND
A central war room in an undisclosed location works on messages that are circulated across social media platform with news and videos about the protests and upcoming events. Once a rally is planned, the central war room passes on specific guidelines, dos and don’ts messages to mobilise local community to the districtlevel team, who then further pass this information down. “We have started uploading online feeds of rallies as they progress and dr ones are being used to capture photographs and keep tabs on the progress of the rally ,” said a young member of team.
The objective is to keep community members updated all the time, as they are the most important link of the movement, he added.
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM WHAT’SAPP:
The 50,000-odd WhatsApp groups working for the protests have been divided into district, tehsil, village level and then even smaller sub groups. These groups have a multiplier effect when it comes to building up support for the Maratha movement. “We as part of the central team send messages and updates to district level committee only and from there they pass on to the material to the last man in the smallest group. This tool has helped us to control the movement, ensure non violence and discipline for instance, which would have be very tough otherwise,” said Patil, who hails from Nanded district in Marathwada.
CONSTANT MONITORING
Patil added that the central team also constantly monitors each and every activity going on in relation with the community on social media and wherever necessary they intervene by sending out messages or clarification.