Governance and Model code of conduct of election in Era of the Social media

( Image source - https://www.patrika.com)

Recent days there is ongoing controversy over the Prime minister address to the nation over Successful testing of the ASAT missiles that whether it was a violation of Model code of conduct ( MCC) or not? Election commission formed a committee to investigate the issue. Nothing going to come out - all know that. But this provides an important opportunity to discuss another important issue.

 The advent of Social media changed our whole life including most intimate relations of us. Just 3-4 years back our day began with a toothbrush but today WhatsApp replace it. When this medium becomes this much perverse, there is little or no discussion about its impact on governance.

Let come back to the original point - PM speech and MCC.  Either it was a violation or not was an issue for me, For me the issue is - PM announced this important update through twitter handle @narendramodi and not through @PMOIndia. There is a huge difference between these two. In the world of the social media, @narendramodi is personal individual - He promotes the Ideology of BJP, Sell caps and T-shirts of BJP and what not. While @PMO is the Head of the Government of India ( GOI). @PMOIndia represents the views of the GOI. Expenditure of the PMO goes form the taxpayer money while @narendramodi froms the personal pocket of the Mr.NarendModiodi.

Now analyze this issue through the lens of the Model code of conduct. The spirit behind the MCC is that Minister sitting on the chair do not get any personal or party benefit through that chair. It's simple as this. In case of the ASAT announcement from @narendramodi, He drew the cyber capital to his personal benefit and not the to government. Today every view, follower, like and retweet have the market value. Advertisement agencies giving rupees per these criteria. ( For more, View recent stings of cobra post)

The Issue is not limited to the Prime minister. Many government officials also violating the "Spirit" of the MCC. A civil servant supposes to work as neutral during the MCC. You saw many "Public stunts" where District magistrate go on the round of district and order the put to down the banners of the political parties in power and also in opposition. But rarely we try to see or think that what civil servants do in the cyberspace during Model code of conduct.

Keep mind these two pics during the reading of each following line.

I just take Piyush goyal an as an example. Its stand true for the Every minister. A civil servant supposes to follow the @RailMinIndia. A civil servant should have nothing to do with @PiyushGoyal even in general days. In days of the model code of conduct, there should a be Iron wall between the Civil servant and Minister. But See following examples that the wall doesn’t exist on the cyberspace. I put examples randomly; there is no dearth of such. I am posing only those which came to notice me on first.

Shashi ShekharVerified account

@shashidigital

CEO Prasar Bharati, India's Public Broadcaster and RSTV (addl charge)

His bio and the following pic suggest that he use twitter for the official work. That’s good. It's the part of the e-governance policy of the Government.

He Follows some Government and Foreign officials as under. That's the need off his work.

But Why he follows the following persons? What he is related to his work? Keep in Mind, @shashidigital is an official account and not a personal one.

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Sitanshu KarVerified account

@DG_PIB

Principal Spokesperson, Government of India & Director General of Press Information Bureau (@PIB_India), Government of India

He follows @NICMeity ‏, @DGNorthEast ‏, @VPSecretariat, etc. Which are official accounts? But, he also follows the @NamoApp ‏‏, Chowkidar Radha Mohan Singh, etc. These are the private account that linked with one particular political party.

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AadhaarVerified account

@UIDAI

Official Twitter account of the Unique Identification Authority of India. RTs are not endorsements.

This account follows @TVMohandasPai ‏. I don’t know that which official post this person hold in Government of India. If he does not hold any post than why @UIDAI following him and not me? Keep in mind as I write above that every follower, every retweet has market value.

@UIDAI also follows another private person like Bill Gates, Barak Obama, Chowkidar PP Chaudhary etc.

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Digital IndiaVerified account
@_DigitalIndia
This is the official Twitter account of Digital India. RTs are not endorsements.

They are following @BJP4India, ‏ @NamoApp ‏ , etc. Why they are following the Twitter account of the only one political party and not others?

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Defence SpokespersonVerified account
@SpokespersonMoD
Principal Spokesperson, Ministry of Defence, Government of India

This account following all three - (1) NSitharamanOffice @nsitharamanoffc ‏(2) Raksha Mantri Verified account @DefenceMinIndia (3)  Chowkidar Nirmala SitharamanVerified account @nsitharaman

I have a question over only last account. Why Spoke person of the Defence ministry following the personal account of the Defence minister when there is two other twitter account related to official work of her also there and they are also following those two as well ?

* I have screenshots of the above information which I write without posting pics. Pics Posting is time consuming exercise. 

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This makes clear that there is no wall exist between the Govt officials and Ministers at the time of the Model code of conduct. This is just about Twitter. The Bigger concern is WhatsApp.

Unlike Twitter which is a Quasi-Public space, Whatsapp is the platform for the private chat. The Screenshots of those are not in public space. But we all know that there are many WhatsApp group having members of the Ministers, MPs, MLAs, DMs, SDMs, Sarpanchas, etc. to enhance the coordination in the day to day work. Chat on this platform is not subjected to the RTI application ( As far as I know). Leave that issue aside and analyze the issue through the Model code of conduct.  Does Election commission order the DMs and SDMs to leave all such groups? Is there any method EC have to verify that these groups are not being used to provide undue benefit to the party in power including states where parties other than BJP ruling many states.

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Cyber technologies posing a threat to the elections. It is the hot debate in the democracies across the world. Muller commission appointed in the USA to investigate the Russian an involvement in the Election of the President trump. Mainly experts are discussing the issue in terms of the external threat. But when the Government machinery ( As I explain above) acts in favor of the one particular party through the Cyberspace, Its matter of more serious concern.

I also like to make appeal to the citizen. If you see the DM shaheb or policeman to pulling off the poster of the political party, Ask them to unfollow all politicians on Twitter and also leave whats app group where politicians are the member. Today the cyberspace becomes as important as the physical space.