A new book claims that the ruling BJP was actively behind the negative campaigns in social media against celebrities, politicians and journalists who were opposed to the saffron party. ‘I Am a Troll: Inside the Secret World of the BJP’s Digital Army’ written by Swati Chaturvedi details the modus operandi allegedly adopted by the BJP backroom boys and girls to tarnish anyone who dared to oppose the Modi regime.
The book, which investigates the ties between abusive social media accounts and the BJP., quotes Sadhavi Khosla, who claims BJP directly coordinated social media campaigns against leading journalists and actors. The 37-year-old former party volunteer claimed that the party targeted opposition politicians like Rahul Gandhi, journalists like Barkha Dutt and Muslim actors like Aamir Khan on the social media in a well-coordinated effort.
“In this explosive investigation conducted over two years and including interviews with top politicians, bureaucrats, marketeers and trolls, Swati Chaturvedi finally lifts the veil over this murky subject,” the book’s blurb says.
However, the former head of the party’s social media unit Arvind Gupta said that Khosla’s claims were unsubstantiated and that she was a supporter of the opposition Congress party.
