- Asom Jatiya Parishad accused BJP Assam of running a fake IT cell from a room in its office
- Ex-BJP Assam VP Jayanta Das claimed 10,000 fake social media accounts were operated there
- BJP denied allegations, calling them baseless and said room 501 is for official documentation
A fresh political controversy has erupted in Assam after the Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP) accused the state unit of the BJP of operating a "fake IT cell" from room No. 501 at the party's Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan in Guwahati.
The allegation has intensified ahead of the assembly elections, drawing sharp reactions from both sides.
The issue first surfaced when former BJP Assam vice president and Dispur constituency ticket aspirant Jayanta Das, after resigning from the party, claimed that nearly 10,000 fake social media accounts were being operated from the said room. Das, who is now contesting as an independent candidate, alleged that these accounts were used to spread misinformation and influence public opinion.
"The former VP Jayanta Das was the first person who alleged a fake IT team handled 10,000 fake accounts under the guidance of central minister and MP Pabitra Margherita. These accounts operate negative illegal activities amongst people," AJP spokesperson and secretary AK Khatoniar told reporters.
"We have raised a complaint to the Chief Election Commissioner of Assam and India seeking strict action for violation of the model code of conduct."
When questioned about evidence, Khatoniar added, "Their own leader Jayanta Das revealed this information, so we are forced to believe that an illegal IT room is settled in Vajpayee Bhawan. Three digital media web channels and 16 Facebook and Twitter accounts were used to operate fake news."
He alleged a list of digital channels and account details has been submitted to the authorities.
Responding to the allegations, BJP spokesperson Mita Nath Bora dismissed the claims as baseless.
"I heard about the 501 allegation for the first time. Is it humanly possible to run so many accounts? BJP is focused on welfare and development work," Bora added.
She also countered the Opposition, saying the parties making the allegations should understand that "we have enough genuine party workers and real accounts."
"Room 501 is used for official documentation work, nothing illegal is happening," she said.
