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YouTuber Dhruv Rathee Calls UP Govt’s Initiative To Engage SM Influencers “Legalized Bribery”; Silent On Similar Initiatives By Cong/AAP Govts

The Commune

The Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh has introduced the Uttar Pradesh Digital Media Policy, 2024, a new initiative aimed at regulating social media content and engaging influencers to promote state government programs. Drafted by the state’s information department and recently approved by the state cabinet, this policy mirrors similar efforts in Punjab, focusing on leveraging the reach of social media influencers to enhance public awareness of government schemes and achievements.

Under this policy, influencers on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X will be encouraged to create and share content that aligns with the government’s objectives. The state has appointed a digital agency, V-Form, to manage advertising and distribute videos, tweets, posts, and reels promoting the government’s welfare schemes.

The policy categorizes influencers into four groups based on their follower counts and sets out a structured payment model. Influencers will be compensated based on the platform and type of content they produce:

In addition to promoting government initiatives, the policy also imposes strict regulations on content deemed anti-national or defamatory. Posting such content can result in severe penalties, including imprisonment ranging from three years to life.

Dhruv Rathee Finds UP Govt Over Initiative Problematic

YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, a well-known left-leaning commentator, criticized the new social media policy. He labelled it a “legalized bribe” that misuses taxpayer money. He claimed that paying influencers to promote government initiatives is unethical and amounts to bribery.

Rathee also called for public shaming of any influencer participating in this program, suggesting that accepting money from the government to promote its achievements compromises their integrity. Netizens questioned whether Rathee’s logic should also apply to traditional media outlets like newspapers and TV channels, which regularly run paid advertisements for government campaigns.

 

 

 

Interestingly, Rathee has not made similar criticisms of the Punjab government’s initiative in 2023, which also involved paying influencers to promote the state’s culture, heritage, and governance. The Punjab Influencer Empowerment Policy, 2023, was designed to leverage social media influencers to narrate positive stories about Punjab and included a structured compensation model similar to Uttar Pradesh’s. The AAP-led Punjab government, in October 2023, launched an initiative to leverage social media influencers’ power to share the state’s ‘rich cultural heritage, vibrant traditions, and progressive governance initiatives’. The initiative was titled ‘Punjab Influencer Empowerment Policy, 2023’.

The ‘Punjab Influencer Empowerment Policy, 2023‘ aimed to ‘harness the storytelling prowess of social media influencers’ to narrate compelling stories about Punjab’s cultural diversity, historical heritage, and the progressive steps taken by the government. The policy categorized influencers based on their subscriber base across various social media platforms. The five distinct categories, as outlined in the policy, determined the compensation structure for influencers participating in this initiative. Surprisingly, it is very similar to the one proposed by the UP government.

Similar campaigns were put forth by the Rajasthan Congress government in 2023 and more recently the Karnataka Congress government as well in 2024. 

Rathee’s silence on Punjab’s initiative has once again raised questions about his integrity and his double standards in his selective outrage. While Rathee has been vocal against the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government’s use of influencers, his lack of commentary on the AAP-led Punjab government or the then Congress-led Rajasthan government, or the Congress-led Karnataka government’s similar approaches shows his blatant bias.

Once more, Rathee’s bias against the ruling BJP comes to the fore. He seems to have his lips sealed when someone from parties other than the BJP would have done similar things. If hypocrisy had a face, it would look like Dhruv Rathee.

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