Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav has cautioned party workers, including senior leaders, against the 'misuse' of social media to target peers and seniors as it amounts to indiscipline and would attract stern action.
He also warned members of the party's media panel to tread with extreme caution while addressing communally sensitive issues.Addressing a closed-door meeting, Akhilesh dropped hints that conduct of party men on social media and in public will be a major consideration while finalising candidates for posts in the state executive, district units as well as the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The SP leadership asking party workers to ensure discipline in public and on social media is being seen in the light of statements made by senior leaders like MP from Sambhal Shafiqur Rahman Barq, party MLA in Ballia Mohammed Ziauddin Rizvi and SP leader in Rae Bareli, Mohammed Illiyas Manni who voiced their dissent on social media, before journalists and at public meetings over party's choice of candidates in their respective regions in the urban local body polls.
After the election results were announced, several party leaders were attacked on social media for backing candidates who lost the urban local body polls.In some of the posts, fingers were pointed at top leadership as well.
Referring to the 2024 LS polls, Akhilesh said the BJP has already started hatching conspiracies to target SP since they see it as their only challenger."The BJP can go to any extent to defame Samajwadi Party and its leaders ahead of the polls. In such a situation, it is important that the leaders make sure that they are not provoked by anyone to say anything and their conduct towards all party men should be respectful," he said.
Party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav said: "The BJP is misusing social media and hatching new conspiracies every day. We have to be cautious and counter such designs of the BJP by exposing them."