"Development Not Enough": PM's Social Media Engagement Mantra For BJP MPs

BJP MPs inactive on social media have been ticked off by the party leadership, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi telling them that development alone cannot ensure poll victories and MPs must engage with the people. These MPs have been marked red in a progress report on social media activity that the party has prepared.

According to sources, BJP MPs attended a workshop yesterday in the library building of Parliament. During this workshop, MPs' progress and key national issues were discussed. All the MPs at the meeting were given reports on their social media activity.

These report cards tracked their activities on social media sites Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube. NDTV has learnt that MPs were divided into three categories -- active, barely active, and inactive.

The three-page report was prepared after tracking MPs' social media activity between January and August. There were several parameters for tracking their activity on different social media sites.

For example, MPs who made no posts on Facebook in a month were tagged 'inactive' and marked red; those with 0-60 posts in a month were tagged 'barely active' and marked yellow, and those with more than 60 posts were tagged 'active' and marked green.

The MPs' social media activity data across the websites was tracked and presented during the workshop.

NDTV spoke to one of the BJP MPs who attended the workshop. "I am trying to improve my ranking, and I aim to be in the top 10 by the next review," the MP said.

During the workshop, Prime Minister Modi addressed the MPs and told them to step up their social media activity. Focusing on the younger MPs, he said they must actively use platforms such as Instagram to connect with and engage with voters. Development, the Prime Minister said, was not enough to win elections. It is important to engage and connect with people, he advised.

During the workshop, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya also made a presentation on how elected representatives can use social media for public outreach.